Lemon Lime Cupcakes |Cooking With Amanda

If you follow My Baking Addiction on a regular basis, you may have realized that I've taken about a month off, but I definitely didn't leave you hangin'. I had a few recipes like these Grilled Garlic Basil Shrimp ready in advance, and then I enlisted the help of some of my favorite blogging friends to create amazing and delicious recipes to share with you.

Those shrimp and these No Bake Pineapple Cheesecakes are just couple of the recipes that were shared while I was basking in the Florida sun.

We try to head to Boca Grande, Florida at least twice per year - once in the spring and again in the fall. And each time we've been, I've worked while we were there. Yep, worked while on vacation.

Between writing posts, social media, and emails, I'd wake up early and try to get the tasks for the day completed before we hit the beach, but let's be real, a vacation is just not a vacation when you have to set an alarm every morning.

I definitely want Elle to know her mama works hard, but I also want her to know that Mama plays hard too. Being attached to a laptop while on vacation just isn't the type of memories we're trying to create.

This time, we were gone for two full weeks and the only work related thing I did was schedule Facebook shares from my phone and took a 5-minute conference call from the beach. And let me tell you, it was glorious.

I came back feeling refreshed, creative, and well, like I just spent two weeks at the beach. We've already booked our trip for fall and I plan on doing absolutely zero work while we're there. I'm pretty sure I can make it happen!

While we were on the island, we all kind of developed a love for the lemonade and limeade served at the local restaurants. So when we got home, one of the first recipes I baked up were these lemon lime cupcakes.

I used Dorie Greenspan's recipe for Perfect Party Cake, added loads of freshly grated lemon and lime zest and topped the cupcakes with a generous swirl lemon-lime buttercream. If you want to get a little fancy, you can add a small slice of lemon or lime to the top of each cupcake just before serving - yellow or green sanding sugar would also be lovely.

These lemon lime cupcakes are fluffy, delicious, and totally perfect for summer! They may even quench our craving for island lemonade until fall. Give them a try, I'm pretty certain you'll love them as much as we do.

For more delicious summer cupcake recipes, be sure to check out these Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes and these Peach Cobbler Cupcakes here on Food Fanatic.

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Lemon Lime Cupcakes Recipe

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Ingredients

For the Cupcakes:

2 1/4 cups cake flour, like swan's down brand
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 cups whole milk, room temperature
4 large egg whites, room temperature
lemon zest, from one medium lemon
lime zest, of one medium lime
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, (8 tablespoons), at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the Buttercream:

3 sticks unsalted butter, softened (1 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 pounds powdered sugar, sifted (24 ounces)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
lemon zest, from 1 medium lemon
lime zest, from 1 medium lime
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1-2 tablespoons milk, if necessary

Directions

For the Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pan with paper liners.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk and egg whites.
In a medium bowl, combine the lemon zest and lime zest with the sugar and mix until fully incorporated.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until the butter and sugar are light and fluffy.
Add in the vanilla extract and one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed.
Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, and then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until well incorporated.
Add the rest of the milk and eggs, beating until the batter fully incorporated and smooth, and then add the last of the dry ingredients.
Once ingredients are thoroughly incorporated, give the batter a good 2-minute beating to make sure it is thoroughly mixed.
Using a large scoop (about 3 tablespoons), distribute the batter between the prepared pans, filling each well 2/3 full.
Bake for 18-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centers of the cupcakes comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

For the Frosting:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed for five minutes.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in the powdered sugar, and continue beating until well blended.
Add in vanilla, zest, and lemon and lime juices. Blend on low speed until moistened.
Turn the mixer back up to medium-high speed and beat the buttercream for an additional 5 minutes.
If the buttercream is too thick, add in a bit of milk, one teaspoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
Pipe buttercream onto cooled cupcakes. If desired, top each cupcake with a small slice of fresh lemon or lime just before serving.