What's better than some champagne in Paris?
Guess what?! Today is my fabulous momma's birthday! Not only is she amazing, smart, hilariously weird (sounds familiar) and a great wedding planner, but she is the most giving and thoughtful lady I know, plus, she's related to me, and for those reasons, these divine lime curd cupcakes were made!
Ever since I can remember, my grandma would make a key lime pie each year for my mom's birthday. No big, fancy, rich with buttercream cake, but a simple and light key lime pie. Starting with the ever so familiar graham cracker crust and filled with a tart lime curd, this dessert is a family favorite. Now, of course, we would always go over the top with the whipped cream and get it all over each other's faces before putting it on our slice of pie, but who doesn't do that?!
My mom was lucky enough to visit Roberto and I in wild and wonderful West Virginia this past weekend, so celebrating her birthday was a must! I thought that I would do a little transformation of the key lime pie that is the usual each year, to really make it special for her.
Wine tasting and boat cruising, what isn't super fun and cool that this woman does?!
Let's start with the crust: brown sugar is the better sugar. I simply just love that molasses flavor in it, therefore I use it in EVERYTHING. Next, I made a moist lime cupcake. It is not over the top tart, but it has just a hint of lime among that traditional cupcake. The filling is where things start to get fun. It is filled with a homemade lime curd!
What?!
Yes. This curd will make your lips pucker just the right amount, and let me tell you, eating it by the spoonful is too easy!
The grand finale: they are topped with marshmallow frosting and sprinkled with graham cracker crumbs. I squealed when I was finished with these because they are so dang cute! Everything should be topped with a fluffy and fun marshmallow frosting!
So whether you have decided to celebrate this wonderful woman I am so lucky to call my momor just want a dessert that is as adorable as it is tasty, these lime curd cupcakes are the perfect choice!
graham cracker crust ingredients
Graham Cracker Crumbs—5.5 oz, or 1 ½ C
Brown Sugar—3 oz, or 1/3 C
Butter (melted)—4 oz, or 8 TBL
process
Mix together all of the ingredients so that the mixture is similar to a wet sand.
Scoop about 1 TBL into the bottom of each cupcake cup, press down.
cupcake ingredients
Butter (room temperature)—4 oz, or 1 stick
Sugar—8 oz, or 1 C
Eggs—2
Vanilla—0.3 oz, or 2 tsp
Flour—12 oz, or 2 C
Baking Powder—0.4 oz, or 2 ½ tsp
Salt—0.1 oz, or ½ tsp
Heavy Cream—4 oz, or ½ C
Lime Juice—3.5 oz, or ½ C + 1 TBL
process
Preheat your oven to 350˚ F.
In the bowl of your mixer, cream together the butter and sugar.
Add the eggs and vanilla, mix until light and homogenous.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Slowly add to the creamed mixture.
Once all combined, stream in the heavy cream and lime juice.
When all combined and smooth, top the already prepped graham cracker crust in the cupcake cups with your batter about ¾ of the way up.
Place in the center rack of your oven and bake for about 18-22 minutes, or until the cake springs back when touched.
lime curd ingredients
Lime Juice—6 oz, or ¾ C
Egg Yolks—6
Sugar—8 oz, or 1 C
Butter—4 oz, or 8 TBL
Salt—pinch
process
Combine the lime juice, sugar, and butter in a medium saucepot.
Bring this mixture to a boil.
Place your yolks in a medium bowl.
Once the lime juice mixture is to a boil, temper into the yolks, whisking constantly.
Add all back into the pot, still whisking until it comes to a second boil.
When boiling, pour the hot curd into a heatproof container, cover with plastic wrap, making sure that it is directly touching the curd so that no film forms.
Allow to cool completely until you are ready to use for filling your cupcakes!
frosting ingredients
Egg Whites (room temp)—9.25 oz, or 8
Sugar—16 oz, or 2 C
Cream of Tartar—0.1 oz, or ½ tsp
Salt—pinch
Vanilla—0.3 oz, or 2 tsp
process
Put the egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer.
Whisk together.
Create a double boiler by placing the bowl over a pot filled with about 1" of water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl does not directly touch the water.
Turn the heat on to about medium, constantly whisking.
Using your thermometer, cook this mixture to 120˚ F.
Once it has reached the appropriate temperature, transfer the bowl to your mixer, attach the whisk attachment, turn to medium.
After about a minute, turn up to high speed and allow to whip for roughly 5 minutes, until this meringue has stiff, glossy peaks.
Whisk in vanilla.
Either use immediately, or store in an airtight container for up to 4 hours.
You may either pipe the frosting on using any number of tips (I prefer a medium star tip!) or use an offset spatula, whatever you desire!
Bon Appétit!