Lime Cupcakes

A couple friends of mine had a KitchenAid mixer that was given to them by their aunt. Neither of these girls wanted it (can you imagine?!) so they asked if I would like to take it off their hands. Would I? I don't think I will ever be able to afford a KitchenAid mixer in this lifetime, so I accepted and tried not to squeal like a schoolgirl.

Once I had my hands on it, I needed to use it. It's like a clean sheet of paper and a new pen, you MUST create - it's simply not possible to leave it alone. So, I created. Nothing fancy or fabulous, but I can tell you this; icing was never so easy to make. These cupcakes are so easy that I feel a bit guilty posting a recipe for them.

Here is the 'recipe' (and I use that term very loosely here) for these fabulously delicious (because, they really were) cupcakes.

Lime Cupcakes
Makes 12

1 box (oh, yes I said BOX - close your eyes and get on with it) white cake mix
2 whole eggs
1/3 cup oil
1 1/4 cups water
zest of one lime
juice of one lime (2-3 Tablespoons)

Icing:

3/4 cup butter - softened (1 1/2 sticks)
zest of one lime
juice of one lime
powdered sugar (3 -4 cups depending on how much juice your lime holds)

Mix up the BOXED cake mix with the eggs, oil, water and first lime - zested and squeezed. Pour into muffin tins, lightly greased or set with cupcake wrappers. Bake at 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown and springy when touched in the center. Let cool.

Beat the butter until fluffy and add zest and juice from the second lime. Pour in powdered sugar, a cup at a time, and keep beating until icing forms and is of a nicely spreadable consistency. Frost cooled cupcakes.

I bet you're wondering why I used a white cake mix and then adulterated the thing with whole eggs? Well, BOXED yellow cake mix tastes very different than white mix, which I like better, BUT I wanted a bit of color to these so I added the egg yolks as well. There you go - whip some up and enjoy!