Key Lime Cupcakes

These hands down might be my favorite cupcake out there! I think it might be because I rarely have anything that is key-lime. In fact as I sit here and type this blog post at 10:00 at night while my husband and boys are asleep in bed I am eating one of these cupcakes and enjoying every single bite!

Im not exactly sure if its the cupcake itself, the sweetened condensed milk filling, or the toasted coconut that is my favorite...but all I know is that when you put them all together it is divine!

Key Lime Cupcakes

recipe from: Jill McKee

1 large lime, scrubbed (1 tsp. zest and 2 T. juice)

4 large eggs

1 pkg (3.4) ounce vanilla pudding

1/3 cup oil

1 pkg. plain yellow cake mix

1 1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon coconut flavoring

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcake tins with pape liners. Seperate 3 eggs, just keep the yolks. Add the remaining egg, cake mix, pudding mix, water, oil, coconut flavoring, lime zest, and lime juice. Blend with electric mixer on low for 30 seconds. Scrape sides and increase speed to medium and mix for 2 minutes. Scoop 1/4 cup batter into each cup, filling 2/3 of the way full. Bake until lightly golden, about 18-22 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes, then take out and let sit on wire racks and cool for another 10-15 minutes.

Filling:

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1/3 cup key lime juice*

Place condensed milk and key lime juice in a bowl and stir until combined. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag with a tip. Fill each cupcake with about 1 teaspoon of the filling.

Lime Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 (8 ounce) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 Tablespoon keylime juice

1 pound powdered sugar

Toasted coconut*

Mix all ingredients (except coconut) until well combined. Frost and them top with toasted coconut.

* to toast coconut: place on cookie sheet in the oven to Broil under lightly browned. Not all coconut needs to be brown the crunch of the toasted and the flavor of the white coconut makes it pefect!

* You can find key lime juice at most grocery stores next to the bottled lemon juice. It's in a tall bottle and is called "Key" lime juice.