Today, I have an amazing recipe to share with you. I received a sample of natural food coloring from Color Kitchen a few months ago, and I was wracking my brain, trying to come up with some way to test the colors so I could write my review.
Finally, it came to me… Key Lime Cupcakes. And I'd decorate them with my favorite frosting, Buttercream. Tinted green using natural food coloring from Color Kitchen. Perfection.
PLEASE NOTE: If you are doing GAPS, and must be super strict, the natural food coloring from Color Kitchen does contain non-GMO malto-dextrin derived from corn, so you will want to avoid using this food coloring.
And then raspberries were on sale, hmmm… Key Lime Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling. I figured it would be super simple to cook the raspberries into a jelly and pipe into the cupcakes. But alas, 18 ounces of raspberries, seeds removed and cooked down amounted to just a few tablespoons of raspberry filling. Nowhere near enough to fill a dozen cupcakes! It was delicious though, while it lasted. But there was no way I was going to ask you to buy 5 pounds of raspberries just to make enough jelly filling for the cupcakes! Still hooked on the idea of combining the two flavors, I kept thinking. And finally inspiration struck… Key Lime Raspberry Curd. Perfection!
My taste testers L.O.V.E.D. these cupcakes.
One more thing… this recipe makes 14 cupcakes… but the frosting only covers 12. I'm not sure what you'll do with those extra two cupcakes. I know I had a hard time figuring it out myself. But eventually I came up with a plan. I'm sure you will, too. Ahem. After I ate them, I realized I could have crumbled them and dropped them on top of the frosting to further decorate the cupcakes. So you might want to consider that, and see how it turns out.
Key Lime Cupcakes with Raspberry Curd Filling
- 8 large whole eggs (420 g)
- 4 T. Key lime juice (60 g) You'll need 6 juicy Key limes to get four tablespoons but you may want to buy extra just in case!
- 1/2 cup coconut oil (110 g)
- 8 T. honey (169 grams)
- lime zest from 5 key limes
- 1/2 t. sea salt [affiliate link]
- 2 t. vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons, packed coconut flour (press the coconut flour [affiliate link] firmly into the cup and measuring spoon – the weights for me were – using Anthony's brand coconut flour: 1/2 cup = 68 g and the 2 T. = 22 g coconut flour) (edited for clarification, thank you Judy who commented)
- 1/2 t. baking soda
- Raspberry Key Lime Curd (click for the recipe)
- 12 raspberries for decorating the top
- Buttercream Frosting
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Grease the cupcakes tins, or use silicone inserts (my favorite!)
- Tip: See my post on Key Limes for the easiest way to juice these babies!
- In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs [affiliate link], key lime juice, coconut oil [affiliate link], honey [affiliate link], lime zest, sea salt, and vanilla [affiliate link] extract.
- With an electric mixer, mix at medium speed until all ingredients are fully incorporated.
- To measure the coconut flour, pack firmly into the cup measurement and use the back of a straight knife to level the flour even with the top edge of the measuring cup. To ensure there are no lumps, sift flour.
- Add coconut flour to batter and mix on medium speed until all ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Add baking soda [affiliate link] and mix together quickly.
- Place batter into cupcake tins (I love these Scoop-It batter spoons by Wilton!)
- Place in a preheated oven. Bake 12-15 minutes.
- Cupcakes will be lightly browned and feel firm to the touch when done.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
Buttercream Frosting
Makes about 2-1/2 cups
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk at room temperature
- 6 tablespoons honey*
- 1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 packet blue Color Kitchen natural food coloring
- 1 packet yellow Color Kitchen natural food coloring
- Remove butter from wrappers and place in a bowl nearby so it's ready for when you need it. Have a spoon handy as well.
- Beat eggs and yolks until they are forming soft peaks (this is best accomplished by using a stand mixer. While the eggs are beating, heat honey to 240°F in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Try to use a pan that has a lip on the edge as I find that easier to hold in place while pouring the honey slowly into the eggs.
- I also like to use a digital thermometer that has a probe. I set it to sound an alarm at 238°F so that I can attend to it and watch for it to reach 240°F so I can take the pan off the burner immediately.
- With mixer on medium high setting, dribble the honey down the edge (now you'll see why the pan with the lip comes in handy) of the mixer bowl. The reason you want to dribble the honey on the edge of the bowl is because it will cool just slightly which will keep the eggs from curdling. The eggs will be slightly cooked from the hot honey but not enough to pasteurize them so if you are worried about raw eggs, be sure to use eggs from a farmer you trust.
- Once all the honey is dribbled into the mixture, continue to beat until the egg and honey has cooled to room temperature. Do not add the butter until the mixture has cooled to room temperature, or the frosting will not emulsify as the butter will melt.
- With the mixer on a medium setting, add butter one spoonful (about two tablespoons) at a time.
- The mixture will turn soupy, but just keep adding butter in one spoonful at a time and as you near the last spoonfuls the mixture will emulsify into buttercream frosting!
- Add vanilla and mix well.
- Pour the natural food coloring into a small bowl and add a teaspoon of water. Mix thoroughly to make a paste, and add a few more drops of water, if necessary.
- Add to the buttercream frosting and mix well.
- Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, use a cupcake corer or take a sharp knife and cut a circle in the middle of the cupcake.
- Use the tip of the knife to dig out the center, leaving the bottom of the cupcake intact.
- Fill the cupcake with raspberry curd filling.
- Decorate the top of the cupcake with frosting.
- Crumble the cupcake inserts and sprinkle over the top of the piped on frosting for decoration!
My favorite piping tip is Ateco #828. I use this in combination with a disposable piping bag, there's no need for a connector for the tip, just cut off the tip of the bag and drop the piping tip in.
- 8 large whole eggs (420 g)
- 4 T. key lime juice (60 g)
- ½ cup coconut oil (110 g)
- 8 T. honey (169 grams)
- lime zest from 5 key limes
- ½ t. sea salt
- 2 t. vanilla extract
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons, packed coconut flour(press the coconut flour firmly into the cup and measuring spoon - the weights for me were - using Anthony's brand coconut flour: ½ cup = 68 g and the 2 T. = 22 g coconut flour
- ½ t. baking soda
- Raspberry Key Lime Curd for filling
- 12 raspberries for decorating the top
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Grease the cupcakes tins and sprinkle with coconut flour, or use silicone muffin inserts
- Tip: See my post on Key Limes for the easiest way to juice these babies!
- In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, key lime juice, coconut oil, honey, lime zest, sea salt, and vanilla extract.
- With an electric mixer, mix at medium speed until all ingredients are fully incorporated.
- To measure the coconut flour, pack firmly into the cup measurement and use the back of a straight knife to level the flour even with the top edge of the measuring cup. To ensure there are no lumps, sift flour.
- Add coconut flour to batter and mix on medium speed until all ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Add baking soda and mix together quickly.
- Place batter into cupcake tins.
- Place in a preheated oven. Bake 12-15 minutes.
- Cupcakes will be lightly browned and feel firm to the touch when done.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Frost when completely chilled.
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk at room temperature
- 6 tablespoons honey
- ½ pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 package blue Color Kitchen natural food coloring
- 1 package yellow Color Kitchen natural food coloring
- lime zest
- Remove butter from wrappers and place in a bowl nearby so it's ready for when you need it. Have a spoon handy as well.
- Beat eggs and yolks until they are forming soft peaks (this is best accomplished by using a stand mixer. While the eggs are beating, heat honey to 240°F in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Try to use a pan that has a lip on the edge as I find that easier to hold in place while pouring the honey slowly into the eggs.
- I also like to use a digital thermometer that has a probe. I set it to sound an alarm at 238°F so that I can attend to it and watch for it to reach 240°F so I can take the pan off the burner immediately.
- With mixer on medium high setting, dribble the honey down the edge (now you'll see why the pan with the lip comes in handy) of the mixer bowl. The reason you want to dribble the honey on the edge of the bowl is because it will cool just slightly which will keep the eggs from curdling. The eggs will be slightly cooked from the hot honey but not enough to pasteurize them so if you are worried about raw eggs, be sure to use eggs from a farmer you trust.
- Once all the honey is dribbled into the mixture, continue to beat until the egg and honey has cooled to room temperature. I've made the mistake of adding the butter too soon, it will just melt in the hot eggs and honey and will never emulsify without some fast action from someone who really knows what they are doing.[My son cooked in a commercial kitchen when he was a teenager and the time I almost ruined the buttercream frosting he knew to quickly add pieces of cold butter].
- With the mixer on a medium setting, add butter one spoonful (about two tablespoons) at a time.
- The mixture will turn soupy, but just keep adding butter in one spoonful at a time and as you near the last spoonfuls the mixture will emulsify into buttercream frosting!
- Add vanilla and mix well.
- Pour the natural food coloring into a small bowl and add a teaspoon of water. Mix thoroughly, and add a few more drops of water if necessary.
- Add to the buttercream frosting and mix well.
- Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, use a cupcake corer or take a sharp knife and cut a circle in the middle of the cupcake.
- Use the tip of the knife to dig out the center, leaving the bottom of the cupcake intact.
- Fill the cupcake with raspberry curd filling.
- Decorate the top of the cupcake with frosting.
- Crumble the cupcake inserts and sprinkle over the top of the piped on frosting for decoration!
If you love recipes like this, I have two cookbooks you really need to check out ASAP! Naturally Sweetened Treats for your gluten-free dessert needs and Mastering the Art of Baking With Coconut Flour which will teach you how to bake with coconut flour!
Please clarify – is it 1/2 cup coconut flour plus the 2 tbsp that is added to the batter? Your parentheses make it questionable. If so, I think it should read:
½ cup packed coconut flour (68 g of Anthony’s brand) PLUS 2 T. (22 g) coconut flour
instead of the way it reads now:
½ cup packed coconut flour (68 g of Anthony’s brand PLUS 2 T. 22 g coconut flour)
Hi Judy, thank you SO much for asking for clarification, I have edited the recipe, and I hope it is clear now. My best regards, Starlene
Thank you. Have company coming this weekend and was thinking of making these. With so little coconut flour needed, 2 tablespoons would make a real difference.