Strawberry Vanilla Cupcakes with Lime Icing

My coworkers go nuts over these!  The cupcakes are a moist vanilla with chunks of strawberry inside.  The lime icing makes the dessert light and refreshing.  I am a chocoholic and I usually make desserts which involve chocolate, but last summer I decided to switch things up and make these cupcakes for my co-workers birthday.  These cupcakes were such a hit they are now referred to as "The Cupcakes".

This is based off of a food network recipe, which I have altered.  The vanilla cupcake base is a great recipe and you could add chocolate chips instead of strawberries if they are not in season.

The cupcakes in this photo are mini cupcakes - which I love making since they cook faster and serve more people.  I usually make a combination of mini and regular cupcakes so I use all the batter in one batch.



Total Time:  45 minutes
Serves:  9 regular sized cupcakes

You will need:
1 1/2 cups Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 large Eggs
2/3 cup Sugar
3/4 cup Unsalted Butter, melted
2 teaspoons Vanilla
1/2 cup Milk
1 pint sliced Strawberries

For the icing:
1 cup Confectioner's Sugar
2 tablespoons Lime Juice

Step 1:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line the cupcake tin with cupcake liners.  Stir the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.

Step 2:
In a large bowl with an electric mixer, combine the eggs and sugar.  Mix for about 2 minutes until the eggs are light and foamy.  As you are mixing, slowly add the butter and then the vanilla.  Be careful to heat the butter until it is just melted, you do not want to overheat the butter, or else you might accidentally scramble your eggs.

Step 3:
Slowly add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, while mixing with the electric mixer.  Then add the milk and the rest of the dry ingredients.  Mix until just combined.

Step 4:
Fill the cupcake tins until they are about 1/3 full.  Then add 2-3 slices of strawberries on top of the batter.  Then add more batter on top until the cupcake tins are 2/3 full.

Step 5:
Bake for 30 minutes or until fully cooked.  This can be tested by inserting a toothpick in the center of a cupcake, when they are fully cooked the toothpick will come out clean.

Step 6:
As the cupcakes cool, mix the icing together.  Add more or less lime juice depending on the consistency you prefer.

Step 7:
Frost the cupcakes once they have cooled completely, and top with a strawberry.  If you frost the cupcakes while they are still warm the cupcakes will absorb the icing.