Strawberry Limeade Cupcakes

I also made some desserts for our gathering, and while not completely mexican, these still said party! I found these Cherry Limeade Cupcakes on Annie's Eats, but since I'm not super crazy about cherry in my desserts, I decided to use strawberry in the icing instead. The icing is from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody.

These turned out so refreshing, delicious and super moist. The hint of lime in the background of the cake made these extra special and super fun. Don't worry, the lime is not overpowering at all, it's just adds a nice layer of flavor. I highly suggest making these for your next summer cookout. They'll be sure to be a crowd pleaser. Oh, and I followed Annie's advice to not skip on the lime syrup. Definitely do that, it contributes great moisture and flavor to the cupcakes.

Strawberry Limeade Cupcakes

Source: Annie's Eats via Baking Up Chaos

Yield: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

3 cups cake flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. limeade concentrate

3 eggs

3/4 cup milk

For the lime syrup:

3/4 cup limeade concentrate

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

For decorating (optional):

fresh lime slices

fresh strawberry slices

Directions:

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two muffin pans with paper liners.

In a medium bowl combine the cake flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Stir together and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and beat on medium-high speed until creamed. Add in the limeade concentrate and mix to incorporate. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl between additions. Add in the flour mixture in thirds, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix ingredients just long enough to incorporate but no longer.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans for 5-10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack over wax paper to cool completely.
Once the cupcakes have cooled, whisk together the limeade concentrate and confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl to make the lime syrup. Poke several holes in the top of each cupcake with a skewer and pour the syrup over the cupcakes, allowing it to soak in.
Frost cooled cupcakes (recipe below). Garnish with lime slices and strawberry slices, if desired.

Fresh Strawberry Buttercream

Source: Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 cups (may need more or less) powdered sugar, sifted

1 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
Beat butter and 1 cup powdered sugar on medium speed for 1 minute.

Add vanilla and strawberries and beat for 1 minute.

Adding 1 cup at a time, add the remaining powdered sugar. You may find that you need less than 4 cups or more than 4 cups depending on the consistancy of the frosting you are going for.