Strawberry Lime Cupcakes for the Birthday Girl

In this recipe, Lime Cupcakes are topped with a delicious strawberry lime buttercream. Great for birthdays, July 4th, and more!

Creating This Lime Cupcake Recipe

It is that time of year again — Madeline just turned five! These Strawberry Lime Cupcakes were made especially for my birthday girl.

I can hardly believe that she is five! And in kindergarten! Suddenly looking so very grown up all of the time.

This fall has been more busy than ever before so we opted for a simple family birthday party (thank goodness!). A welcome respite from last year’s Carnival Birthday Party That was lots of fun but required a significant amount of planning on my part.

We almost weren’t able to celebrate her birthday on the real day of her birthday due to a busy evening of soccer practice. Fortunately, we were spared by a day of rain and cancelled practice. As soon as I knew we would be home that evening I made plans to turn our day around.

I couldn’t help but think how different this birthday was from the day she was born — a warm, sunny day in New Mexico compared to a cool, rainy day in gorgeous Colorado.

To create this lime cupcake recipe, I took my favorite white cupcake recipe and brightened them up with some lime zest.

And for such a sweet girl who loves the color pink, I made sure to top them with some delicious homemade strawberry frosting — to which Logan informed us that he likes strawberries as long as they are in frosting!

Ingredients for Lime Cupcakes

This cupcake recipe has two components: the lime cupcakes and the fresh strawberry frosting. Here’s what you’ll need for both:

• All-purpose flour
• Cake flour
• Baking powder and baking soda
• Kosher salt
• Unsalted butter
• Granulated sugar
• Lime zest and juice
• Sour cream
• Milk
• Egg whites
• Vanilla extract
• Confectioners’ sugar
• Fresh strawberries

For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.

How to Make Lime Cupcakes

Below is an overview of how the lime cupcakes are made. I’ve given explicit instructions on how to make the easy strawberry frosting in the recipe card below as well!

1. In a large bowl, combine both flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, sour cream, and egg whites. Set aside.
3. In a small food chopper, blend the zest and the sugar together until the zest is very fine. Set aside.
4. Fit a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Add the butter, sugar and vanilla to the bowl and beat at medium speed or until light.
5. Add the vanilla extract and one third of the flour mixture while beating on medium speed.
6. Beat in half of the sour cream mixture.
7. Alternately add the remaining flour mixture and sour cream until all the wet and dry ingredients have added, beating until the batter fully incorporated and smooth.
8. Evenly divide the batter between 18 lined muffin tins filling each about 2/3 of the way full.
9. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the centers come out clean.
10. Cool on wire rack before topping with homemade strawberry frosting.

The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.

Can This Recipe Be Prepared in Advance?

Yes! You can prepare the lime cupcakes and the fresh strawberry frosting in advance. However, wait to frost the cupcakes until the day you plan on serving them.

Once frosted, the cupcakes need to be stored in the fridge, which will dry them out.

Can Cupcakes Be Frozen?

Yes, unfrosted lime cupcakes can be frozen for up to three months. Let them cool completely on your countertop before sealing inside a freezer bag.

Can Frosting Be Frozen?

Also yes! Seal the fresh strawberry frosting inside an airtight container or freezer bag for up to three months. When ready to use, thaw overnight in the fridge.

Tips for Making Strawberry Lime Cupcakes

• See my posts on Two-Tone Frosting for Cupcakes and Cupcake Piping Tricks for piping tips.
• If you don’t keep cake flour on hand, you can easily make your own.
• Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting them. If you pipe the frosting onto warm cupcakes, it’ll melt.

More Easy Cupcake Recipes:

Decadent Dark Chocolate Cupcakes are piped with a salted caramel buttercream and drizzled in homemade bourbon caramel sauce for a delicious sweet and salty dessert.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream and Fresh Raspberry Sauce are the perfect combo of a fluffy, light vanilla cupcake, rich chocolate buttercream, and a tangy, sweet fresh raspberry sauce.

The Pumpkin Cupcakes were already incredibly moist and the perfect balance of sweet, pumpkin, and fall spices. The Caramel Pecan Glaze just took them over the top.

These Chocolate Mint Cupcakes feature chocolate cupcakes with chunks of Andes Mints and vanilla mint buttercream.

In this Coconut Lime Cupcakes recipe, I subbed coconut oil for the butter and added shredded coconut, lime zest, and lime juice to the batter. The frosting also showcases coconut oil with some lime juice.

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Fresh Strawberry Lime Cupcakes

Yield: about 2 dozen cupcakes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

I took my perfect white cupcake recipe and added lime zest, then added some lovely pink strawberry frosting. These were a hit with my kids.

Print

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes:

• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• zest of 2 limes
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 large egg whites, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lime juice OR 5 drops pure lime essential oil

For the Buttercream:

• 4 sticks (2 cups) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1.5 pounds (24 ounces or about 5.5 cups) confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons lime juice
• about 8 medium fresh strawberries, pureed (you'll need 4-6 tablespoons of strawberry puree)

Instructions

For the Cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the racks in the center position. Line cupcake tins with cupcake liners. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl combine both flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.
3. In a medium bowl whisk together the milk, sour cream, and egg whites. Set aside. In a small food chopper, blend the zest and the sugar together until the zest is very fine. Set aside.
4. Fit a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, or use a hand mixer (I achieve a better dome with the hand mixer). Add the butter, sugar and vanilla to the bowl and beat at medium speed for 3 minutes, or until light. Scrape the sides as necessary.
5. Add the vanilla extract and one third of the flour mixture while beating on medium speed, again scraping the sides as needed. Beat in half of the sour cream mixture. Alternately add the remaining flour mixture and sour cream until all the wet and dry ingredients have added, beating until the batter fully incorporated and smooth.
6. Use a large scoop (about 3 tablespoons), evenly divide the batter between 18 lined muffin tins filling each about 2/3 of the way full.
7. Bake for 15-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centers come out clean. Cool on wire rack.

For the Buttercream:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the butter. Beat until fluffy. Turn the mixer to low speed and slowly add the confectioners' sugar while continuing to beat.
2. Once well blended, add in the vanilla, lime juice, and 4 tablespoons of strawberry puree. Mix on low speed until well combined and moist. If desired, an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons of strawberry puree until your desired consistency is reached. Beat at high speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy.
3. Pipe or decorate as desired. See Two-Tone Frosting for Cupcakes and Cupcake Piping Tricks for piping tips.

Recommended Products

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  Citrus Juicer
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  Microplane Zester
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  Kootek 42 Pieces Cupcake Decorating Kits
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  Muffin Pan
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  Stand Mixer

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 147Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 125mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 1gSugar: 12gProtein: 2g

GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.

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