Name: Cherry Limeade Cupcakes Recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: ¾ cup all purpose flour; ¾ cup cake flour; 1 tsp baking powder; ⅛ tsp Baking Soda; ¼ tsp salt; ¾ cup plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar; 1 tbsp lime zest; ½ cup softened unsalted butter; 1 large egg; 2 large egg whites; ½ tsp vanilla extract; ¼ cup plus 3 tbsp buttermilk; 1½ tbsp fresh lime juice; For Simple Syrup:; 1 tbsp fresh lime juice; 1 tbsp granulted sugar; For Frosting and Topping:; ¾ cup soft, ½ unsalted and ¼ salted butter; 2¼ cups powdered sugar; few drops, optional red food coloring; 3 tbsp maraschino cherry juice; 12 maraschino cherries; 12 Lime slices; optional sugar crystal sprinkles

How To Make Cherry Limeade Cupcakes

Rich and moist, these cherry limeade cupcakes are brushed with sweet lime syrup then topped with cherry flavored buttercream frosting for a luscious finish.

Preparation: 30 minutes

Cooking: 20 minutes

Total: 50 minutes

Serves:

Ingredients

¾cupall purpose flour
¾cupcake flour
1tspbaking powder
⅛tspbaking soda
¼tspsalt
¾cupgranulated sugar,plus 2 tbsp
1tbsplime zest
½cupunsalted butter,softened
1largeegg
2largeegg whites
½tspvanilla extract
¼cupbuttermilk,plus 3 tbsp
1½tbspfresh lime juice

For Simple Syrup:

1tbspfresh lime juice
1tbspgranulted sugar

For Frosting and Topping:

¾cupbutter,soft, ½ unsalted and ¼ salted
2¼cupspowdered sugar
red food coloring,few drops, optional
3tbspmaraschino cherry juice
12maraschino cherries
12lime slices
sugar crystal sprinkles,optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift all-purpose flour and cake flour into a mixing bowl. Add baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk for 20 seconds, set aside.
In a food processor, pulse together granulated sugar with lime zest for about 1 minute until finely ground.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip together butter with lime sugar mixture until pale and fluffy. Scrape down bowl.
Mix in egg, then mix in egg whites one at a time, adding in vanilla with second egg white. Scrape down bowl.
In the liquid measuring cup used to measure buttermilk, whisk together buttermilk with lime juice.
Working in 3 separate batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture, add ⅓ of the flour mixture alternating with ½ of the buttermilk mixture and mixing just until combined after each addition. Scrape down bowl and fold batter gently.
Divide batter among 12 paper-lined muffin cups. Bake in the preheated oven for about 18 to 20 minutes until toothpick inserted into center of cupcake comes out clean.
Remove from oven and allow to cool several minutes in muffin tin, then transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly while preparing simple syrup.

Simple Syrup:

In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice with granulated sugar until sugar has dissolved. Brush mixture over warm cupcakes. Allow cupcakes to cool completely.

Frosting:

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip butter until pale and fluffy. Mix in ¼ cup powdered sugar then mix in maraschino cherry juice and optional red food coloring.
With mixer set on low speed, slowly add remaining powdered sugar, add an additional ¼ cup as needed to reach desired consistency, then increase mixer to medium and whip until light and fluffy.
Pipe or spread over cooled cupcakes, top with each with a maraschino cherry and a lime slice and sprinkle edges with sprinkles if desired.
Serve and enjoy.