Baking Mondays - Coconut Lime Cupcakes

This week I chose a cupcake recipe from my new book "The Australian Women's Weekly - Cupcakes". The book was a surprise gift from my lovely mum and she also got me the cookies and cupcakes by colour books from the same series. Thanks mum!

Coconut Lime Cupcakes

Makes 24

250g butter, softened

2 tsps coconut essence

1 tbsp finely grated lime rind

290g caster sugar

4 eggs

160ml milk

120g desiccated coconut

375g self-raising flour

1. Preheat oven to moderate and line two 12-hole standard muffin pans.
2. Beat butter, essence, rind, sugar and eggs in a large bowl with electric mixer until combined.
3. Stir in milk and coconut, then sifted flour. Divide mixture among cases; smooth surface.
4. Bake for 25 minutes.

Coconut Lime Frosting

60g butter, softened

160g cream cheese, softened

2 tsps coconut essence

juice of 2 limes

3 cups icing sugar (approximately)

desiccated coconut to decorate

Beat butter, cream cheese, essence and lime juice in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy; gradually beat in sifted icing sugar until you reach the consistency you want. Spread over cooled cupcakes and then top with desiccated coconut.

The only changes I made to the recipe was to add the lime juice to the frosting - it just needed that bit of extra bite.

So how do these cupcakes rate?

Me - 8/10, they are really light and fluffy, and have a very subtle flavour. They could be a little more flavoursome.

Mat - 9.5/10, hubby was very impressed with this cupcake since he likes cakes that are not too sweet.