Tuesday, March 5, 2013

...to squeeze key-limes

...for an incredibly l-o-n-g period of time.

How many key-limes does it take to make one cup of lime juice?  #toomanykeylimestocount


This is just half of the pile.

My fingers are sore from squeezing!

Last year for Will's First Communion I made him lemon cupcakes with a lemon curd filling.  They were light and delicious.  I knew that I wanted to make something similar for our St. Patrick's Day gathering but I wanted to keep with the 'green' theme.

I looked up several different recipes for key-lime cupcakes and since I couldn't find what I was looking for, I decided to create what I had in my mind.

The results were light and fluffy,


and delicious...

a simple cream cheese frosting
I made the cupcakes in these baking cups that I found on-line.  They were perfect!  There are many different festive colors to choose from, you can bake directly in them, and there is no greasy residue.

With every baking experience of mine, there is typically a piece that doesn't-really-go-so-well.  Although it was delicious, the filling turned out to be quite a disappointment.  To be frank, I am somewhat terrified of the color the curd turned out to be!  I think that the coloring was somehow affected in the boiling process...I used the same amount that I had in the cupcake batter.  The results are startlingly different!  


The jury is still out for me as to whether or not I am going to fill the rest of the cupcakes I made.  The kids are split, two liked the curd and two did not.  

Thoughts?

______________

Key-Lime Cupcakes

Mix.

1c butter
1 1/3 c sugar
2 eggs
3/4 c sour cream
1/4c key-lime juice


Add.

1 3/4 c cake flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1T lime zest

Add food coloring; just a tad.

My batter was a bit too thick so I added about 1/4 c half/half.

Bake 350. 12-15 minutes.

The curd recipe is here.  I substituted key-lime juice for lemon.




4 comments:

  1. The curd filling looks scary, but the cupcakes look yummy! Light and fluffy!! I think I need a bite to make up my mind!

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  2. Wow! That curd got INTENSE! Wish I was there to help you taste-test!

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  3. You know you can buy key lime juice already squeezed at the store right? What was the thought process? A) buying 39 key limes and squeezing every last drop out of them will be more economical than buying already squeezed key lime juice at the store for $1.99, or B) I've got spare time, how bout I squeeze the shit of 86 key limes for an afternoon, or C) I don't want to offend the Amish by buying pre-squeezed key lime juice, or D) people who read my blog will think I'm totally lame if they read that I resulted to not growing my own lime tree and harvesting (and subsequently squeezing) the fruit of my labor.

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  4. Key lime juice in the bottle is not even close to the real thing...not even in the same universe! It takes forever to squeeze them but it is totally worth it.

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