mango-lime cupcakes

The boy and I do not enjoy cooking.  Which means that 6/7 days of the week we go out to eat, order in or pick up ready made meals at our local grocery store.  This is an expensive and unhealthy habit that we are trying to break.  The boy has been away in Arizona for work the past few days so I had no choice but to go to the grocery store, pick up a few ingredients and make a veggie lasagna with ground round, spinach, ricotta cheese and lots of mozza.  And you know what- it wasn't half bad!

As a coming home present I decided to whip up a batch of mango-lime cupcakes from my Betty Crocker cupcake book.  If it was up to me, I'd only eat chocolate cupcakes but the boy likes fruit so I thought it would be a loving compromise.  I love watching shows like Cupcake Girls, DC Cupcakes and Cupcake Wars and always toy with the idea of taking cupcake classes so that I too may master the art of cupcake baking and decorating.  But since Le Cordon Bleu classes will run you a few hundred for a couple of hours, my Betty Crocker cookbook and 'I Kiss Better than I Cook' apron will have to do for now.

Cupcakes: Heat oven to 350 F.  Place baking cups inside of muffin cups.  In small bowl mix 1 cup flour, 1 tsp baking powder and 1/8 tsp salt.  Set aside.  In medium bowl beat 1/4 cup softened unsalted butter and 1/3 cup granulated sugar with tlectric mixer on medium speed for 1 min.  On low speed add 2 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Alternately add flour mixture and 1/3 cup milk, beating after each addition until smooth.  Beat in 1 tsp lime peel.  Stir in mango.  Divide batter evenly among baking cups.  Bake 12 mins or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for 30 mins.

 

Icing: In medium bowl, beat 1/4 cup softened unsalted butter; 2 cups icing sugar; 1/2 tsp grated lime peel and 2 tbsp fresh lime juice with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.  Ice cupcakes and decorate with grated lime peel.