Lime Cupcakes

I have realised that I am now a blogger...and Australian. So I decided to join the Australian Food Bloggers ring. Makes sense right? I just didn't count on one of those little "word verification" thingy's to stop internet spam foiling my plans. Obviously I am not a human being capable of working out which bloody letters are in the diagram even after putting my glasses on and trying more than 5 times! At this point I'm a little annoyed, and promptly decide to give up on being in this bloggers ring.

I have since however found the Foodies blog roll, which received a big tick in my books as it has heaps of fantastic food blogs that I can easily spend hours procrastinating by trolling through all that wonderful food porn. So all is now good in the world with a coffee and a citrusy-light lime cupcake  ♥

Little Lime Cupcakes

From Piece of Cake blog

Makes 18 full-sized cupcakes

This recipe was originally for mini cupcakes, so I have changed the lime syrup quantity to accommodate this.

2 whole eggs

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

½ cup + 2 Tbsp buttermilk

1½ cups plain flour

1 cup sugar

2¼ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons grated lime zest

125g unsalted butter, cut into cubes at room temperature

For the lime syrup:

½ cup sugar

3 Tbsp fresh lime juice

3 Tbsp water

Cream Cheese Frosting:

340g white chocolate

500g (2 packets) cream cheese, at room temperature

1.   Preheat oven to 170°C (150°C fan-forced). Line muffin tins with cupcake liners.

2.   In a large measuring cup, whisk together, the eggs, egg yolk, vanilla, and buttermilk and set aside.

3.   In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and lime zest. Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment and turn the mixer on low. With the mixer running, gradually drop in the butter pieces and mix until the texture is uniform and the bits of butter aren't discernable, about 2 minutes. With the mixer still on low, begin slowly pouring in the wet ingredients. When all the wet ingredients have been added, Turn the speed up to medium and mix until the batter is light and fluffy, about 1½ minutes.

4.   Portion the batter into the muffin tins and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Let cool in the pans for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

(This is what the flour and butter mix should look like before adding the wet mixture in - like breadcrumbs)

5.   Make the lime syrup: In a small saucepan, whisk together the sugar, lime juice and water. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Boil until the sugar is dissolved, and the syrup is clear and slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Set aside to cool.

6.   Make the cream cheese frosting: Slowly melt the white chocolate, in the microwave for 30 second intervals. Place the cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for a minute on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Beat in the melted white chocolate until smooth.

7.   When the cupcakes have cooled, prick each one deeply with a fork about 4-5 times. Carefully spoon about 1-2 tsp syrup over each cake. Allow the syrup to soak into the cakes for about 10 minutes, then frost and decorate as desired. Refrigerate any leftover cupcakes for up to 3 days.

                                                                                  Enjoy!