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These Cherry Limeade Cupcakes are brushed with a zesty fresh lime syrup and then topped with a sweet cherry frosting. A bright, tangy, summer dessert!
Cupcakes with a Tangy Twist
These Cherry Limeade Cupcakes are a vibrant and tasty twist on an ordinary vanilla cake. The fresh lime juice, lime zest and bright cherry frosting taste like a refreshing summertime cherry limeade drink. They’re delicious to serve at a backyard picnic, campout, summertime bridal shower or family reunion. These cupcakes take a little extra time to make and have a couple more steps than your run-of-the-mill store-bought cake mix However, they are so worth it. The batter is mixed in three stages to get the consistency just right. We adapted this recipe from cookingclassy.com and we love it!
Ingredients in Cherry Limeade Cupcakes
Take the extra time to ditch the boxed white cake mix and make this from scratch. It’s so light, moist, and yummy it’s worth the extra effort. Here’s all you need for the cake:
- All-purpose flour
- Cake flour – this is a finer flour that makes the cake’s texture just perfect. You can find it at the grocery store in the baking aisle.
- Bakepowder and baking soda
- Salt
- Sugar
- Lime zest
- Unsalted butter – make sure it’s at room temperature
- Large eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Buttermilk
- Fresh lime juice
Follow the directions below on how to mix the ingredients together using a stand mixer. Bake in cupcake pans, then cool on a wire rack.
Lime Glaze
Another delicious layer to these cupcakes is this glorious lime simple syrup. It’s so easy to make: just whisk the lime juice liquid and sugar together until the sugar is dissolved. With a pastry brush, brush syrup over warm cupcakes. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
Cherry Frosting
The cherry on top of these cupcakes is the bright and flavorful cherry frosting. And it comes together with four ingredients:
- Butter – make sure it’s room temperature so it mixes well with the other ingredients.
- Powdered sugar – generally about five cups, but you may need a little more or less, depending on your desired consistency.
- Maraschino cherry juice – you can buy a jar of Maraschino cherries and use the cherries as garnish.
- Red food coloring – use a couple of drops if you want a brighter color for the frosting.
How to Decorate the Cupcakes
We made these scrumptious pink cupcakes for my daughter’s graduation party. They were a hit! She loves birds, so we found these cute picks and used them to decorate the cupcakes. However, there are lots of decorative options with these cherry limeade cupcakes. Top them with maraschino cherries, lime slices, or sugar crystal sprinkles.
Questions About Cherry Limeade Cupcakes
Try serving these cupcakes cold. It will taste refreshing with the flavors of lime and cherry.
These cupcakes aren’t sour, they have the wonderful flavor of lime without the sourness. The cake flavors cut through any sour taste.
One secret I like to reveal is to not overmix. This beats all the air out of the cupcakes. Mix until just combined.
More Delicious Cupcake Recipes
- Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes – Perfect for kids birthday parties! Let each child decorate their own cupcake cone!
- Tasty Coconut Cupcakes – Coconut lovers will RAVE about these cupcakes!
- Nutella Swirl Mini Cupcakes with Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting – These are great for Valentine’s Day – the Nutella swirl makes them extra special.
- Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting – The perfect mix of sweet and tart – you have to try these!
Cherry Limeade Cupcakes
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Sifter
- Electric Mixer
- Mixing Bowls
- Measuring Cups
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups cake flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 2 Tbsp lime zest
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 large eggs
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 Tbsp fresh-squeezed lime juice
Simple Syrup
- 2 Tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
Frosting
- 1 1/2 cups butter
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- Few drops of red food coloring optional
- 1/3 cup maraschino cherry juice
Topping options
- Decorative picks maraschino cherries, lime slices, sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift all-purpose flour and cake flour into a large bowl. Whisk in baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk buttermilk and lime juice. Set aside.
- In a food processor, pulse together the sugar and lime zest until finely ground. In an electric mixer (or with electric beaters in a large bowl), whip the sugar/lime zest mixture with butter until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl while mixing to ensure it is all blended. Gradually add eggs and egg whites one at a time and then vanilla. Mix well.
- Add ⅓ of flour mixture to the batter and mix just until combined, then add ½ of buttermilk mixture to the batter and mix. Repeat ending with last ⅓ of flour mixture.
- Divide batter among 24 muffin cups lined with cupcake liners.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in muffin tin, then transfer to a wire cooling rack and add simple syrup.
Simple syrup
- Whisk lime juice and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. With a pastry brush, brush syrup over warm cupcakes.
Frosting
- Whip butter in a mixer until light and fluffy. Mix in ½ cup powdered sugar, then maraschino cherry juice and red food coloring. Slowly add remaining 4 ½ powdered sugar and whip until well blended. If necessary, add more powdered sugar to reach desired consistency.
- Spread or pipe frosting on completely cooled cupcakes.
What a fun flavor especially for me here in Florida everyone would love them and they are so pretty too!
I agree these are a wonderful Summer treat but I can also see these making an appearance at a Valentine’s Day meal or even Christmas! Fabulous!
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