What's Baking - Cherry Limeade Cupcakes

 

Today's post is extra special for THREE reasons!! It is my 100th post!!, it is my BIRTHDAY!!, and it is also my August What's Baking post!! Triple Score!! 

The August What's Baking theme, hosted by The Mess Pot, was Celebrate Summer and what could better represent the carefree days of summer than a Cherry Limeade??? It was an instant, easy decision for me to incorporate this beloved drink into a cupcake and I must say I wasn't disappointed. The biggest decision I had to make was, cherry cupcake with lime frosting OR lime cupcake with cherry frosting??? It was a tough choice, but I opted for the cherry cupcake with lime frosting. Mmm the frosting is so delicious that it's a wonder any of it made it's way onto the actual cupcakes!!

  

Before summer is over, you should make your way into the kitchen and whip up a batch of these little delights!! Or, maybe in a few months when you've forgotten the excruciating heat and want to have a little piece of summer back, you could try them then :)

  

Cherry Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 6 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine the butter and sugar together in mixer until smooth.
3. Add milk and cherry juice and mix until combined. Then add eggs, one at a time and mix until each is incorporated. 
4. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl and add the mixture to the bowl 1 cup at a time, and mix until incorporated. 
5. Fill lined cupcake tin 2/3 full and bake for 18-20 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean. 
6. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Lime Buttercream Icing

Source: Hostess Blog

Ingredients

• 8 Tbsp butter, softened
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 Tbsp lime juice (approx 2 fresh limes)
• 1 Tbsp margarita mix
• 1 tsp lime zest
• 5 cups powdered (confectioners’) sugar

 Prepartion

1. In a large bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, lime juice, margarita mix, and lime zest. Beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
2. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, and continue beating until smooth. If icing is too thin, add more powdered sugar, a couple tablespoons at a time.