Cake:3/4 cups (1 1/2 sticks) of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 heaping teaspoon of grated key lime zest
2 table spoons key lime juice (bottled or squeezed)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/3 cup loosely packed sweetened shredded coconut
Frosting:
4 ounces of cream cheese
2 tablespoons of softened unsalted butter
1 tablespoon condensed milk
2 cups confectioner's sugar
Key lime juice (to taste)
Cut lime to garnish (optional)
Preheat oven to 325; line 12-14 cupcake tins.
With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy- about 5 minutes. Slow the speed and add egg one at a time. Add the vanilla, key lime juice, and zest. Mix well.
In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry mix and buttermilk in parts to the cream and butter mixture. Start with dry and end with dry. Mix until juuuust combined. Fold in the coconut shredding.
Fill the tins 2/3's of the way. I filled them entirely and got this mushroom effect on some of them. This is fine, but makes it harder to get out of the tin. Bake for 25 minutes. For the frosting, cream the cream cheese until smooth. Add the butter, condensed milk, and confectioner's sugar. Add lime juice to taste!
