Lime and Coconut Cupcakes

This is a departure from Martha's recipes. I wanted to bake today, but didn't want to go out to get ingredients. So I looked around the kitchen, and here's what I came up with: lime and coconut! I had plenty of both, plus all the staples to make vanilla cupcakes. So I altered my coconut cupcake recipe and it came out great.

These cupcakes have shredded coconut, lime zest, and lime juice in them. The frosting is lime buttercream, and it's topped with coconut chips. Makes me want a cocktail...Yum!

I was pleased with how these all came out. The cupcakes are moist and fluffy, and you can see the flecks of lime zest in them.

I tinted the frosting to emphasize the lime-ness. It's super tart, so the coconut helps balance the flavor so it's not too overwhelming.
I had plenty of frosting, so I was generous with the piping. Plus, it's so pretty!

I topped them all with coconut flakes, which will also add a bit of crunch when you bite into them. All in all, these were a great experiment, and I'll make sure to write down the recipe so I don't forget.
Yay for creativity!

Martha Cupcake Challenge #21- Triple Citrus Cupcakes

Next on the list is Martha's triple citrus cupcakes. She made these on her show when the book came out originally, and I'm finally getting to them. I had oranges already, so I just needed to pick up a few lemons and limes.
First, I zested 3 lemons, 3 limes, and 2 oranges. Also juiced them. Limes have a lot of zest! My kitchen smelled fantastic, as well as my hands.
This recipe made 36 cupcakes, and used 4 sticks of butter! It could be halved easily, since that's a lot of cupcakes. I added about 1/8 tsp of baking powder, since there was no leavening agent included in the recipe.
They came out great! Some were a bit lopsided, but that's probably because the batter wasn't even in the cups to start with. I love how you can see the flecks of zests in each cupcake.
The recipe then adds a citrus glaze on top, which you can use any of the three citruses for. I chose to use a combination of orange and lime. The glaze was thick, so I spooned it on top of each cupcake, and it kinda ran over the top to mostly cover it. It's pretty strong and sweet, so a little bit is enough.