Key Lime Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting and Salted Pistachios

These light and fluffy key lime cupcakes are topped with fluffy white chocolate frosting and salted pistachios. Pretty and perfect for a baby shower or birthday party!

This is a bit of a sad time of year.

The time of year when all the 'back to school' ads are on TV, and you realize that they are no longer excessively early.

This is the time of year where you look at your summer bucket list and realize how much there is still left on it.

What's worse is I've already noticed some yellowing leaves on the trees around Calgary. Seriously!? Now that actually seems preemptive to me.

Rather than get down in the dumps about the rapidly approaching fall, I've decided to try and cram as many summery recipes as I can into the last few weeks of August.

Are you ready? Here we go...

First up are these beautiful key lime cupcakes. What is more summery than key lime?

When I was an undergrad, I used to go and visit my grandparents in Florida for Spring Break. That is Spring Break, not "Spring Break...WooHoo!" for those of you Friends fans 😉 (As in the type of Spring Break where you play shuffleboard, not party with MTV).

Anyways, it was always such a great trip because I got to know my grandparents a little better (they live all the way across the country), and because there was always, always key lime pie.

I am a huuuuge key lime pie fan.

But this time, I wanted to mix it up a little.

These cupcakes are much more subtle in the key lime department than key lime pie. They are moist, and delicate, with a hint of key lime.

They are topped with an exquisite, fluffy, delicious white chocolate frosting, and sprinkled with salted pistachios.

You are going to have to fight off the masses for these cupcakes, because they won't last for long!

Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!

Key Lime Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting and Salted Pistachios

5 from 1 vote

Prep Time: 40 minutes mins

Cook Time: 18 minutes mins

Total Time: 58 minutes mins

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These light and fluffy key lime cupcakes are topped with fluffy white chocolate frosting and salted pistachios. Pretty and perfect for a baby shower or birthday party!

18 cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

• ▢ ¾ cups butter softened
• ▢ 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 4 tablespoons key lime zest
• ▢ 3 eggs
• ▢ ¼ cup key lime juice
• ▢ 3 cups cake flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1 ½ cup buttermilk

Frosting

• ▢ ⅔ cups white chocolate chips
• ▢ ⅓ cup whipping cream
• ▢ ½ cup butter softened
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 3 ½ cups icing sugar
• ▢ ⅓ cup pistachios shells removed, coarsely chopped

Instructions 

Cupcakes:

• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, and lime zest until light and fluffy. Add eggs and lime juice and mix well.
• In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking soda. Add ⅓ of the flour mixture, mix well, then add ½ the buttermilk and mix well. Continue to add in alternating portions until all buttermilk and flour is added and mixed well.
• Spoon into muffin paper-lined muffin pans, filling until almost full (they won't rise too much). Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool 10 minutes in muffin pans before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting:

• Combine white chocolate chips and whipping cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 30 second intervals, stirring to combine in between. You will need to repeat this 3-4 times, or until the cream-chocolate mixture is completely combined and smooth. Allow to cool completely.
• In a medium bowl, beat together cream-chocolate mixture with butter and vanilla until completely mixed. Add icing sugar one cup at a time, until frosting is light and fluffy.
• Ice cupcakes using a knife or an icing bag fitted with a 1-inch star tip.
• Sprinkle with pistachios.

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Nutrition Information

Serving: 1cupcake, Calories: 443kcal, Carbohydrates: 64g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 71mg, Sodium: 214mg, Potassium: 110mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 48g, Vitamin A: 541IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 53mg, Iron: 1mg

Author: Denise Bustard

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

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Recipe adapted from Food.com