I absolutely adore citrus fruits. Lemons, limes, grapefruits, oranges…I love them all. There is almost something magical about them. Their heady perfume that is emitted the moment you begin zesting them or peeling them, and then there is that flavour zing that you only get from citrus. In the case of lemons it can be somewhat mouth puckering, but you see, that’s what I like. I like big bold flavours, and as far as I am concerned, there is absolutely nothing better than that delicious lemon tang. From Lemon tarts and candied lemon cake through to lemon spaghetti, it’s equally at home in both sweet and savoury dishes. I love this versatile fruit and I’m never without it in the kitchen.

Limes are another favourite as well, which I’m rarely without. From their beautiful aroma, to the way it seems to pair so well with the beautiful herbal qualities of Bombay Sapphire Gin, to that fresh burst it gives marinades and dressings, it’s another amazingly versatile fruit that I adore. So, after making Martha Stewart’s delicious Orange Scented Olive Oil cake recently my mind immediately began thinking of a lime version. To make things a little more tropical I substituted coconut milk for the buttermilk in the original recipe, and used brown sugar to add richness in place of the original white sugar.

The result is a gorgeous tropical cupcake that reminds me of being back in Fiji, sitting by the pool sipping Mojito’s with my fiance.

By the way, I’ve put together a recipe index of all the recipes I have shared on Delicieux over the years. I have to admit I was quite surprised by how many recipes there are! So, if you are looking for a particular recipe you will find it here. Recipes are grouped by category, and to make it easier to navigate the long list of recipes, if you click on a category at the top of the page you will be taken to the recipes in that category.

So, tell me, do citrus fruits evoke any particular memories for you? What are they?

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Lime Olive Oil Cupcakes

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Adapted from Martha Stewart Everyday Living Orange Scented Olive Oil Cake. Makes 14 cupcakes.

Ingredients

• 1¾ cups of plain (all-purpose) flour
• 4 limes, zested and juice extracted to yield ⅓ of a cup
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• ½ cup of coconut milk
• 3 large eggs
• ⅔ cup of extra-virgin olive oil
• 1½ tsp of baking powder
• ¼ tsp of baking soda
• pinch of salt
• LIME BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
• 115g of butter, at room temperature
• 400g of icing sugar, sifted
• zest and juice of 1 lime
• 1 tbs of coconut milk

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) and line a muffin tray with paper liners.
2. Place the zest into a bowl along with the brown sugar and using your fingertips rub the zest into the sugar. Once well combined add the juice, coconut milk, eggs and oil and whisk to combine. Add the flour, baking soda and baking powder to the mixture and whisk until smooth.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared muffing tray and bake for 15 minutes or until golden and a cake tester comes out cleanly.
4. Leave to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing and cooling on a wire wrack.
5. To make the frosting, beat the butter and lime zest in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment at medium speed until creamy. Switch the mixer to a low speed and gradually add icing sugar alternately with the lime juice and coconut milk until blended and smooth.
6. Pipe or spread the frosting onto the cupcakes.

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