My loving hubby sent me a link to this blog article about how to make Cherry Limeade Cupcakes. I love, love, LOVE the cherry limeades from Sonic and I love cherry flavored things and lime flavored things so I thought this sounded terrific! Now only to have an occasion to make them. Here comes Easter and my mom asks me to make dessert. Woot! I think I'll make the cupcakes for Easter dinner (dessert).

Here are some photos of the steps:

Ingredients - milk, cake flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, eggs, butter, limeade concentrate. mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

batter in cupcake liners

after baking and cooling on wire rack

making the lime syrup (limeade concentrate and powdered sugar) to pour over cupcakes to keep them moist

Cupcakes with lime syrup and waiting for icing:

Ingredients for the icing - powdered sugar, maraschino cherry juice, butter, red food coloring (optional & I didn't end up using it).

Perfectly light pink, lightly cherry flavored icing.

Frosted cupcake    eating the cupcake  Delicious!

Very limey, hint of cherry, light and refreshing. Could eat all of them!

Recipe:

Cherry Limeade Cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
3 cups cake flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. limeade concentrate
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk (I used 1%)

For the lime syrup:
3/4 cup limeade concentrate
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

For the frosting:
3 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 tbsp. (or more) maraschino cherry juice
red food coloring (optional)

Directions:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two muffin pans with paper liners.  In a medium bowl combine the cake flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.  Stir together and set aside.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until smooth.  Add the sugar and beat on medium-high speed until creamed.  Add in the limeade concentrate and mix to incorporate.  Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl between additions.  Add in the flour mixture in thirds, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.  Mix ingredients just long enough to incorporate but no longer.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners.  Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pans for 5-10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack over wax paper to cool completely.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, whisk together the limeade concentrate and confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl to make the lime syrup.  Poke several holes in the top of each cupcake with a skewer and pour the syrup over the cupcakes, allowing it to soak in.

To make the frosting, combine the confectioners’ sugar, butter and maraschino cherry juice in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Mix on low speed until sugar is incorporated, then increase to medium-high speed and beat until smooth.  Add more maraschino cherry juice as needed to achieve desired texture.  Add red food coloring if desired. Frost cooled cupcakes.

My notes: I just used a regular hand mixer as I don't have a fancy stand mixer. I did not use the food coloring and I used probably 5 or 6 tbs. total of the cherry juice (started with 4 and then added a bit more to get the consistency of the icing that I wanted).

Hope you enjoy!