Cupcakes!

Anthony had two birthday dinner celebrations this year. I made cupcakes for both

I made margartia lime cupcakes and pina coloda cupcakes
I made sure these cupcakes didn't hang around the house :)
I only ate one margartia cupcake and 2 pina colada ones.
I do have a photo of pina colada coming.

Margarita Cupcakes
Recipe from Confections of a Foodie Bride blog

Ingredients

* 1 package (18.25 oz. white cake mix (no pudding in the mix)
* 1 can (10 oz.) frozen Margarita mix, thawed (undiluted)
* 3 egg whites
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1 tablespoon grated lime zest

Yield: Makes 24 cupcakes.
Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line standard muffin pan with baking cups.
2. In large bowl, combine cake mix, Margarita mix, egg whites and vegetable oil using electric mixer.
3. Stir in lime zest; mix completely.
4. Fill prepared pans 2/3 full.
5. Bake 22-24 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cupcake comes out clean.
6. Cool in pan on cooling rack 5-8 minutes.
7. Remove cupcakes from pan; cool completely.
8. Frost cooled cupcakes with icing and garnish, if desired, with a strawberry and/or lime twist,

Lime Cream Cheese Icing
Ingredients

* 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
* 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
* 2 tablespoons lime juice
* 1 teaspoon lime zest or lemon zest
* 4-5 cups confectioners' sugar (I reduced this to about 2 cups!)

Yield: Makes about 3 cups icing.
Directions

1. In large bowl, cream butter, cream cheese, juice and zest with electric mixer until light and fluffy.
2. Add 4 cups confectioners' sugar, one cup at a time; continue beating until light and fluffy.
3. If icing is too thin add additional confectioners' sugar 1 tablespoon at a time.

Piña Colada Cupcakes
Serrilynnlee's Blog

Ingredients:
2 1/4 c. sifted cake flour (I used regularhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif flour and I think cake would have been better)
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. oil
2 large eggs
1/2 c. pineapple juice
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. unsweetened shredded coconut

Pineapple frosting
1/4 c. butter, softened
I also used 4 ounces cream cheese
2 T. plus 1 t. pineapple juice
2 c. powdered sugar
Extra shredded coconut to top

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pan with baking cups.
-Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
-Combine pineapple juice and milk in small bowl, mix to combine and set aside.
-Place sugar and oil in mixer and mix until well blended.
-Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
-Add flour mixture and milk mixture alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
-Stir in vanilla and fold in coconut.
-Spoon batter into prepared pans.
-Sharply tap the pans once on counter top to remove air bubbles.
-Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
-Cool in pans 10 minutes on wire racks, and remove from pans. Cool completely on wire racks.
-When cupcakes are completely cool, frost with frosting and roll tops in shredded coconut.

I LOVED the frosting on this one