Ballerinas baking and rainbow-lime cupcaking
September 8th, 2008
Yesterday, there were a couple of ballerinas running around the place. After some dancing out in the yard, they were hungry and wanted to make cupcakes. We said, how about some rainbow-lime cupcakes? They said, yes please!
The rainbow effect isn’t an original idea. I was inspired partly by justJENN’s zebra cupcakes, and partly by Do Better’s rainbow jello (via The Crafty Crow). But adding lime zest to the cupcake batter and making lime buttercream frosting? That was all my idea.
Okay, that’s probably not an original idea either. Though lime cupcakes aren’t common, I doubt I’m the first person in history who thought of adding 2 teaspoons of grated lime zest to a basic yellow cake recipe, and making vanilla buttercream with 1 teaspoon of grated lime zest and lime juice in place of the milk. (I used a lime picked from the lime tree in our backyard, by the way! We definitely need to water that tree more; that was the driest lime I’ve ever juiced.)
As for the rainbow part, that was actually pretty easy. I just divided the batter into four portions and used a few drops of liquid food coloring in each one. We spooned red batter into each cupcake liner first, then yellow, then green, then blue. We used about a tablespoon of each color per cupcake, maybe a bit more. We didn’t spread the batter around or anything, just spooned the colors on top of each other.
This was sort of a test recipe, as I’ve been recruited to make a tall green layer cake next January for a certain green-loving toddler. Brenda and I were trying to figure out if the cake should just be colored green or flavored something that is green, and then Brenda got a magazine clipping from her husband’s stepmom in the mail: a recipe for key lime cupcakes with lime cream-cheese frosting! We didn’t have that recipe with us when we made these cupcakes, but we figured it couldn’t hurt to do a little experimentation and see if lime-flavored cake would be worth trying.
The verdict: yum! Yeah, we’ll definitely be making lime cupcakes again.
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The Starry princess and I will definitely be trying these. Since you sent me the link to the Magnolia recipe for cupcakes, my family and friends want nothing else.
I’m so glad you and Brenda are spending so much time togther, I’ve always worried about her spending so much time alone.
Feels like you’re both my friends, if we lived nearer I’m sure we would be.
Love Tanya
They were awesome!!!
Yet another recipe for me to try! This makes what? The fourth one? Keep them coming Bethany… I love the ideas you give me.
That is so funny, those sounds exactly like (well, minus the awesome rainbow effect) the key lime cupcakes from Cupcake Island in Omaha. My parents just brought some down for Kassie’s b-day last weekend. You have to stop next time you’re in town…good stuff in all sorts of great combinations (strawberry cheesecake!). It’s at 120th and Pacific in that stripmall back behind Big Bronco’s. Man, I can’t even write that without being hungry for a Big Bronco and a cupcake. I am jealous of your lime tree too.
Lime cupcakes sound great to me! And the colors are so fun! Nice work ladies…
Yum!
I love it!!! Great idea. Can’t wait to try it for myself.
I have never seen anything like that. Sounds and looks delicious!
The color-effect is so cool!
And I must bake more while wearing my tutu.
Very cute and extremely creative! How do you come up with such neat ideas? Even after reading about your inspirations, I can’t say that I would have ever thought to do that. What a neat idea.
SO FUN! I love the girls – they are the cutest little friends. Just like their Mommas.
I LOVE these! They’re beautiful…and I LOVE LIME!!!! Thought: Why am I the only one that asks for Water & Lime when I go out to eat with friends? …and people look at me funny too. Hm. I’ll have to bake a batch of these for my co-workers.
@Deborah – I get seltzer water and lime nearly every time I go out.
When I was in college we made a rainbow cake for a friend’s birthday. We made 3 layers (orange, green, and purple) and 3 colors of frosting (red, yellow, blue). It was kind of interesting.
Ooh! Those cupcakes look awesome; I must make those NOWNOWNOW.:)
Wow. The cupcakes look sooo delicious.
Mouth watering indeed! Thanks for sharing this great idea.
[...] making fun birthday cakes from scratch is something that I love to do. I am already excited to make a tall green birthday cake for Bug in a few months, and I know Brenda is relieved that she doesn’t have to do it herself. We [...]
Hi Bethany, swinging by after a link from Hey Mrs Wilson. I haven’t been by in ages. I love how you answered God’s call on your heart to pray in the pottery studio. Awesome!
Anyhow, I just wanted to share that my wedding cake was rainbow-coloured. It was a cream cheese pound cake and my family has been rainbowing it for years. We love it! I love your cupcakes. They look and sound delicious.
Thanks for this recipe (and cute story/pictures). It has potential, and includes some things which you claim aren’t original, but I hadn’t thought of before. You gave me some ideas for some cupcakes I’ll be baking for an upcoming party. Once again, thanks.