Easy Cherry Lime Cupcakes
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Cherry Lime Cupcakes are a bright and tangy treat! The soft and fluffy cupcakes are infused with zesty lime and studded with whole candied cherries, giving each bite the perfect balance of sweet and tart. It’s all topped off with a sweet and tart lime buttercream frosting.
The weather is getting warmer and it’s time to start hosting my group of friends for Happy Hour after work. That means sharing food, drinks, and fun!
I usually like to make a charcuterie board along with a few easy to eat finger foods. Then I always have a signature dessert.
This month I decided I wanted something bright and fresh. I thought a cherry lime cupcake was in order! While I didn’t have any fresh cherries I did have some Paradise Candied Red Cherries I knew I could use.
What are candied cherries?
Candied cherries, also known as glacé cherries, are cherries that have been preserved in a sugar syrup. They are bright in color and add a lot of flavor to recipes.
I haven’t made many recipes with cherry and lime but I do have a few. These Cherry Limeade Popsicles are fun and easy to make for summer. I’ve also made a tasty Cherry Lime Martini.
I love the sweet and tart combination and thought it would be great in a cupcake. I made a vanilla based cupcake that was a little more dense than my traditional cupcakes and added both the candied cherries and lime zest.
Can I use regular cherries?
While you can use regular cherries, they add a lot of liquid to the batter so you have to account for that. It’s easier to use the candied cherries plus the sweetness of them pairs so well with the tart frosting.
For the frosting I made a simple buttercream and used lime juice in it to make it both sweet and tart. While I left it white in color you could use food coloring and add just a touch of green to make it look like a lime frosting.
Ingredients:
- all purpose flour (you can also substitute a 1:1 gluten free flour)
- baking powder (this will help your cupcakes rise)
- salt (this is a flavor enhancer)
- salted butter (you can use unsalted if you prefer)
- granulated sugar
- fresh limes (you will need them for the zest and the juice)
- egg
- vanilla (this adds to the flavor of the cupcake)
- whole milk (you could also add plant based milk)
- candied cherries (I used Paradise Candied Red Cherries but you could use the green ones)
To make the cupcakes preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners and set aside.
In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the lime juice, zest, egg, and vanilla and mix well.
In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Add half the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix well. Stir in the milk. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix until just combined. Fold in the cherries.
Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups filling 3/4 of the way full. I like to use a 1/4 cup cookie scoop to scoop my batter. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
These cupcakes were delicious. They were a little firmer than my cupcakes normally are but I thought they worked well with the light and fluffy frosting.
How do you store these cupcakes?
Store them in an air tight container or cupcake carrier for up to 4 days. While you can put them in the refrigerator it tends to make them a bit dry.
The bits of cherry in the cupcakes were nice and sweet while the frosting was a bit tart. It was basically summer in a cupcake!
If you’ve tried my Cherry Lime Cupcakes or any other recipe on Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. I love hearing from you! You can FOLLOW ME on:
Easy Cherry Lime Cupcakes
Equipment
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1/2 cup candied cherries
For the Frosting:
- 3/4 cup butter softened
- 3 Tablespoons lime juice
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar
For topping:
- 12 candied cherries
- green sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place 12 cupcake liners in a muffin tin.
- In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar. Mix until well combined. Beat in the lime juice, lime zest, egg, and vanilla. Beat until smooth.
- Add half of the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and mix well. Stir in the milk, then the remaining flour mixture. Mix until combined.
- Gently fold in the candied cherries.
- Fill each muffin cup 2/3 of the way full with the batter. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
- To make the frosting place the butter in a large bowl and beat with a mixer until smooth. Add in the lime juice and beat until combined.
- Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until desired consistency is reached. Pipe frosting onto cupcakes.
- Place one candied cherry on top of each cupcake along with sprinkles if desired.
Those cupcakes look absolutely delicious- I haven’t played badminton in years! #Client
What a great idea — I never would have thought to put Kool-Aid in a cupcake. I want to try it out! And your little party sounds like so much fun — I love badminton!
Enjoying the company of good friends and delicious treats makes every hour happy hour.
Wonderful and creative cupcakes. Blessings, Catherine
Thanks! We really had a great time together!
Aren’t you the clever one? When my kids were growing up we always had Koolaid in the refrigerator. Cherry was my favorite. You happy hour sounds like a fun time!
Cherry has always been my favorite too!