Bright, tangy, and topped with a cool, creamy frosting, these Lime Cupcakes taste like a little break from winter. They’re soft, citrusy, and packed with real lime flavor, no extracts, no shortcuts, just a recipe with fresh flavors.
Two lonely limes. Just sitting there in my produce basket. Looking back at me for over a week. Poor little limes. They felt so neglected. I could tell. I’m sensitive like that.
Those limes were originally destined for pico de gallo, or salsa, or something with a southwestern flair. I don’t know how they wound up in cupcakes in the middle of winter! I know it’s probably a totally inappropriate time of the year to be making Lime Cupcakes. I think of lime desserts for summertime, don’t you? But those little limes just needed some lovin’ so here’s what I did with them.
— This post was originally published on January 22, 2010. It has been updated with additional information.
Recipe Snapshot
Cuisine: American
Cooking Method: Oven
Total Time: 35 Minutes
Servings: 12
Primary Ingredient(s): Flour, butter, sugar, eggs, lime juice, lime zest, buttermilk, cream cheese
Skill Level: Easy
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING …
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“This recipe is fabulous! The best lime cupcake I have ever made. It will be well loved in our home. Even my daughter that “hates fruit” loved them. Thank you so much for sharing it!”
— Jennifer Hardy
Ingredient Notes
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- Two flours (all-purpose and self-rising) — I know it’s unusual for a recipe to call for both types of flour, but there is a reason. Using both gives a perfect balance of tender crumb and rise. I’ve seen it used in some bakery recipes, and it really works.
- Butter — Room temperature butter creams properly with the sugar, which helps the cupcakes turn out lighter.
- Fresh lime juice and zest — Zest carries most of the lime aroma. Zest the lime first, then juice. It’s just easier that way.
- Buttermilk — Keeps the crumb tender and gives a subtle tang that plays nicely with the lime.
- Food coloring (optional) — It’s strictly for looks. Leave it out if you prefer a more natural color.
- Cream cheese — Must be at room temperature so it beats smoothly and doesn’t form little lumps.
The complete ingredient list with detailed measurements is included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Lime Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- Line a muffin pans with 12 paper liners and set them aside. Zest and juice the limes.
- Whisk both the flours together in a medium bowl and set it aside for now.
- Beat the butter in a large bowl until smooth.
- When add the sugar and beat it until blended.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the next 3 ingredients. Don’t worry if the batter looks sort of curdled at this point. That’s okay.
- Beat in the flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour.
- Spoon 1/3 cup of the batter into each liner.
- Bake until a tester inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, approximately 20 to 25 minutes.
- Cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
- Remove the cupcakes from the pans and cool them completely.
- For the frosting, beat all the ingredients together in a medium bowl until smooth.
- Spread or pipe onto cupcakes.
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Recipe Tips
- Zest the limes before juicing, it’s faster and far less aggravating.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Stop mixing as soon as you don’t see any streaks of flour. Overmixing makes cupcakes dense.
- Cool the cupcakes completely before frosting, cream cheese frosting does not like warm cake.
- If your kitchen is warm, chill the frosting for 10 to 15 minutes before piping so it holds its shape.
Recipe Troubleshooting Tips
- My cupcakes are dense. The most common culprit is overmixing once the flour is added. Mix just until combined.
- My cupcakes sank in the middle. Your oven temperature may be off. Check it with an inexpensive thermometer and adjust it going forward if needed. Also, avoid opening the oven door early.
- My frosting is runny. Your butter or cream cheese was too warm, or the frosting needed more powdered sugar. Chill it briefly, then beat again.
- My frosting tastes too sweet. Add a pinch more lime zest, it boosts lime flavor without adding extra liquid.
Recipe Variations to Try
- Key lime version: Use key limes if you have them. The flavor will be a little sharper.
- No food coloring: You can leave it out, and the cupcakes will still taste the same. They’ll just won’t be green.
- Mini cupcakes: Bake in mini pans and start checking for doneness at around 10 to 12 minutes.
Storing Leftovers
Because of the cream cheese frosting, store the frosted cupcakes in the refrigerator, covered. For longer storage, freeze unfrosted cupcakes for up to 3 months, then thaw in the fridge and add the frosting.
More Recipes You’ll Like
Cornmeal Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Skillet Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Lemon Lime Cake
Have a question or thought to share?
If you have a question about the recipe or if you’ve made it and want to share how it turned out, I would truly enjoy hearing from you. Just scroll down to leave a comment or add your star rating.
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Recipe
Lime Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup self-rising flour
- ½ cup butter room temperature (1 stick)
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ½ tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest
- 13 drops yellow food coloring optional
- 2 drops green food coloring optional
- ¾ cup buttermilk
Frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup butter room temperature (1 stick)
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the Cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- Line muffin pans with 12 paper liners.
- Whisk both flours together in a medium bowl.1 cup all-purpose flour, ¾ cup self-rising flour
- Beat butter in a large bowl until smooth.½ cup butter
- Add sugar and beat to blend.1 ¼ cups sugar
- Beat in eggs one at a time, then next 4 ingredients (batter may look curdled).2 large eggs, 2 ½ tablespoons fresh lime juice, 1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest, 13 drops yellow food coloring, 2 drops green food coloring
- Beat in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour.¾ cup buttermilk
- Spoon 1/3 cup batter into each liner.
- Bake until tester inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, approximately 20 to 25 minutes.
- Cool on a wire rack in muffin pans for 10 minutes.
- Remove from pan and cool completely.
Make the Frosting:
- Beat all ingredients together in a medium bowl until smooth.8 ounces cream cheese, 1 ½ cups powdered sugar, ½ cup butter, 1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Spread or pipe onto cupcakes.
Notes
- Zest the limes before juicing, and use fresh zest for the best lime flavor.
- Mix the batter gently; overmixing makes cupcakes dense.
- Store frosted cupcakes in the fridge, or freeze unfrosted cupcakes airtight up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
This recipe is fabulous!!!!!! The best lime cupcake I have ever made. It will be well loved in our home. Even my daughter that “hates fruit” loved them. Thank you so much for sharing it! I don’t know if you get comments from old posts, I just had to say thanks.
Thanks, Jennifer! I’m glad you like the cupcakes. They’re one of my favorites, too.
What is the point of the food coloring? Just to make it lime colored? This is just like Denny’s neon green “key lime” pie. Not necessary!
Yes, the food coloring is to enhance the green color. Leave it out if you don’t want to use it.
Thanks! Always looking for ways to make things more natural, but I wasn’t sure if less liquid would make a difference.
Yummy yum yum! Lime is a favorite any time of the year.
SO. BEAUTIFUL. Look at that gorgeous lime green colour. You are a culinary baking genius!
I have 4 limes just waiting to be used. And I love cupcakes, so this should work out well.
They look deliscious.
Since none of the lime cupcakes survived to see the sunrise…We loved them! We just sat down and ate them until they were gone.
Uncle J and the girls
They look scrumptious. Wish I was there to sneak a bite.
Ah, lime. Another flavoring of the gods. I recall a “celebration of life” dinner at FBC Albany. Each table was decorated by the hostess differently and a signature dessert was prepared to go with the theme. You were there, right? Remember, my table was pink flamingos. However, I digress. One table chose a beach theme, and served lime sherbert, out of the carton. After all, don’t you think of lime sherbert at the beach?? Love the photos, love the cupcakes. Please bake some for me.
Miss P
Awesome cupcakes. I bet those limes were excited to be used in something else besides salsa, then again salsa is good, too. I could go for some lime cupcakes right about now.
yep, something to set your teeth into to wish for summer fun … a wonderful cupcake…
Those looks YUMMY! Do you think lemons would work?
Sure! I think they’d work exactly the same way. I’d probably leave out the food coloring for them, though. Or not. Maybe you’d like red or blue with your lemon, huh? :-)
I just adore cupcake, yet I never seemto bake them. they are my food porn, this recipe just might make me try and whip some up
Give them a try, Kathy. They’re so easy and, for me, it’s great portion control. One cupcake always seems to satisfy, but just one slice of cake, never!
Just another sign that Spring is on it’s way! YAY!!!!!
Hope so! I’m so tired of this long, cold winter. I’m a warm weather girl for sure.