Cherry Limeade Cupcakes – Two Recipes!

To me, one of the BEST things on a hot, summer day is a large Cherry Limeade from Sonic.  The flavor is so perfectly summer time!  I LOVE it!  After making my Key Lime Cupcake, I got to thinking that a Cherry Limeade Cupcake would be awesome!  The only thing I couldn’t decide was how to put it all together.  Did I want a lime cupcake with cherry topping?  Or a cherry cupcake with a lime topping?  I truly couldn’t decide so I did what any reasonable person would do and made it both ways! 🙂

I started with a cherry cupcake and a lime topping.  I LOVE how the cupcake looks and really like the taste, although the cherry flavor in the cake was a little mild for me.  It is a yummy flavor that everyone in my family really enjoyed!

For this cupcake I used my Key Lime Frosting.  Here is the recipe for the Cherry Cupcake…

Cherry Cupcake Recipe

1 3/4  cups flour

1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 extra large eggs

4 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice

Preheat your oven to 350°F.  In medium bowl, whisk flour, salt and baking powder.  Set aside.  In a stand mixer bowl with the paddle attachment, mix your butter on high until fluffy.  Add in your sugar until well combined.  Reduce your mixer speed to medium and mix in your eggs one at a time.  Make sure you stop and scrap down the sides and bottom to make sure all the sugar and butter are well mixed.

Add in half of your flour mixture, then add in your milk, vanilla and cherry juice.  Mix in the remainder of your flour mixture until combined.

Line your cupcake pan and divide batter evenly among the cups and bake for 20 to 24 minutes.  Cool completely on rack and frost with Key Lime Frosting.  Top with cherry and drizzle with juice.

My second recipe is just the reverse…a lime cake and a cherry topping.  I have to tell you that this is my favorite of the two.  It’s so light and delicious I could eat 50 of them!

Lime Cupcake

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons lime juice

1 1/2 tablespoons lime zest

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 egg white

1 teaspoon lime juice to brush on top of cupcakes once baked

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line cupcake pan with liners.  In a bowl, sift together flour, salt and baking powder and set aside.  In a small bowl mix your milk, vanilla, lime juice and lime zest and set aside.  In stand mixer bowl with paddle attachment mix butter on high until light and fluffy.  Add sugar until well mixed.  Reduce mixer to medium add eggs one at a time and mix until combined.  Add half of your flour mixture, then add your milk mixture, then the rest of your flour mixture and mix until well combined.

Divide evenly into the lined cupcake pan and bake for 22-25 minutes.  Cool completely on rack and frost.

Cherry Marshmallow Frosting

1-8oz package of cream cheese, softened

1-7oz tub marshmallow cream

5 teaspoons maraschino cherry juice

1/4 cup maraschino cherries, chopped

1 lime sliced for garnish (optional)

In stand mixer using paddle, mix your cream cheese, marshmallow cream and maraschino juice together til creamy.  Using a spatula, mix in chopped cherries.  Use a pastry bag or zip lock with a hole snipped in the corner to frost.  Garnish with lime slice.  Enjoy!

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