Key lime, lime or lemon pies are my favorite desserts. I have been making them since I was a teenager. My mom used to make them all the time so I learned from her.
Today, I am showing you how to make key lime pie but into cupcakes! These cupcakes have a crust, filling and frosting just like a pie! They taste amazing!
If you want to watch how I made these cupcakes, visit me on Instagram @pastry_tales
Let’s start with the recipe.
Yield about 20-22 regular size cupcakes
Ingredients
For the key lime curd
3 large eggs
3/4 cup white granulated sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed key lime juice
4 tablespoons butter at room temperature cut into small pieces
For the crust
1 and 1/2 cups vanilla cookie crumbs. I used animal crackers or you can use graham crackers
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
For the cupcakes
1 and 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup white granulated sugar
zest of 4 key limes
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 and 3/4 buttermilk or milk at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon coconut extract
For the frosting
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar (if you want it more sweet , you can add a couple more tablespoons)
splash vanilla extract
Directions
For the key lime curd
1.- In a medium size saucepan mix sugar and eggs. Whisk well.
2.- Place your saucepan on top of the heat (low) and add key lime juice, keep mixing until the mixture gets warm.
3.- Now, add butter little by little. Wait for the butter to melt before adding more. Don’t forget to keep stirring. Scrape down the sides too.
4.- Cook for a few minutes while you stir with a spatula and you will know it’s ready when the mixture gets thicker (but not too thick) and when you pass one finger trough the spatula , the mixture separates well.
5.- Pour the mixture into a heat-proof container and let it cool off at room temperature and then place it in the fridge until ready to use.
For the crust
Preheat oven to 350 F and line your cupcake pans with paper liners
1.- In a small bowl mix cookie crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Mix well.
2.- Crumbs should look moist like wet sand and then grab one tablespoon and drop it into the bottom of each cupcake liner. Press down really well.
3.- Bake for about 5-6 minutes.
4.- Remove pans from the oven and let the cupcakes cool off completly.
For the cupcakes
1.- In a small bowl mix flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well and set aside.
2.- In another bowl or a measurement cup mix buttermilk, vanilla and coconut extract. Mix well and set aside too.
3.- In a bigger bowl and using a mix, beat your butter for 2 minutes. Then, add key lime zest and keep mixing for another minute. Add sugar and mix for 3 minutes in medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
4.- Add eggs, one by one mixing well after each addition.
5.- Now, you are going to add your dry and wet ingredients. You will start and finish with your dry ingredients. Dry-wet-dry-wet-dry. Mix in low speed until you don’t see any leftover flour but be careful to not overmix. Your batter should look soft and fluffy.
6.-Now that your crusts are cooled off, you will divide the cupcake batter between each cupcake liner (on top of the crust) just 2/3 full.
7.- Bake for about 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
8.- Let the cupcakes cool off completly.
When they are cooled off…
1.- Use the “cone” method to make a well in the center of each cupcake I used a paring knife. Discard the cones (or eat them!). Be sure to leave a border of cake because we will pipe the frosting on the edge of each cupcake,
2.- Fill each “hole” with the key lime curd about 1 – 2 tablespoons. Set aside.
For the frosting
1.- In a bowl and using a mixer, whip your cream on medium-high speed for one minute. Add powdered sugar and keep mixing for another minute, add vanilla extract and keep whipping until stiff peaks form.
2.- Using a pastry bag and a small piping tip decorate the border of each cupcake with this frosting, leaving the key lime curd exposed.
You can decorated with key lime slices or zest.
Enjoy! Keep these cupcakes in the fridge until ready to serve.