key lime pie cupcakes

this is an older photos of the key lime pie cupcakes i made for my dad for father's day last year. key lime pie is his favorite, + these were delicious & had the most subtle hint of lime, just perfect enough. i suppose i'm thinking in spring/summer mode since we didn't really have a winter here in tuscaloosa, so these cupcakes were on my brain & i had to share the recipe.

in the original recipe adapted from food network, white chocolate icing is used. if you'd like to give that a try, follow the link! i used cream cheese icing instead, which is the same i use for my red velvet cupcakes, found here. any variant of cream cheese icing would taste delicious, or you could even create a lime buttercream if you really enjoy the lime flavor.

for the cupcakes:

• 3/4 cup (1 & 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 heaping teaspoon grated key lime zest
  
• 1 1/2 tablespoons key lime juice (bottled or freshly squeezed)
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup buttermilk

preheat oven to 325 degrees f.

in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. with the mixer on low, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. add the vanilla extract, key lime zest and juice and mix well. in a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. in 5 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. mix until just combined.

line a muffin pan with cupcake papers & scoop batter evenly into each. bake for 25 minutes or until the tops begin to brown and a toothpick comes out clean. allow them to cool for 10-15 minutes before icing. i simply sprinkled graham cracker crumbs on top & garnished with a tiny slice of lime. enjoy!