Key Lime Pie Cupcakes, which I’m pretty sure are everyone’s new favorite. They’re so good.
Similar to my Lemon Bar Cupcakes, these cupcakes are packed with juicy key lime flavor in every bite! They have a fabulous key lime filling and a thick, luscious key lime pie frosting that’s garnished with little sprinkles of honey graham crackers. Talk about the ultimate Key Lime Pie!
Or the ultimate Key Lime Pie Cupcake…
Yep. Exactly what the doctor ordered.
*adapted from my Lemon Bar Cupcakes recipe
Key Lime Pie Cupcakes
Author: Hayley Parker, The Domestic Rebel
Recipe type: Cakes/Cupcakes
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 18
These fabulous cupcakes taste just like a slice of sweet and tart key lime pie!
Ingredients
- 1 box key lime cake mix
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup oil
- ¾ cup water
- ¼ cup key lime juice
- Zest of one lime
- 1 can Duncan Hines Key Lime Pie Filling
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- About 3-4 cups powdered sugar
- Crushed honey graham cracker crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 muffin pans with about 18 paper liners; set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, oil, water, lime zest, and key lime juice and beat with a handheld electric mixer for about 2 minutes or until combined. Portion evenly into the prepared muffin cups, filling about ¾ full. Bake for approx. 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Cool completely.
- Using a paring knife or cupcake corer, core the cupcakes, careful not to cut all the way through the bottom of the cake. Discard centers. Fill with the prepared key lime pie filling. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter, about ⅓ cup of the key lime pie filling and the vanilla on medium-high for about 2 minutes, or until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, about a cup at a time, until frosting is light and fluffy.
- Pipe frosting high onto filled cupcakes, careful to cover the filling completely. Garnish with crushed graham crackers. Serve immediately or store leftovers airtight in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Sweet, tart and bursting with key lime flavor, these fruity cupcakes will transport you right to the Florida Keys without ever leaving the house! I love the fresh lime flavor and the filling is such a zingy, perfect surprise to the sweetness of the frosting and lime cake.
Have a sweet day!
xo, Hayley
Those look fantastic! I love key lime desserts, so I’m sure these are awesome 🙂
You and me both, June! Thanks friend 🙂
Key Lime Pie is one of my all time favorite desserts. I never knew about it until a couple of years ago when I went to Florida and was told I needed to try it. I’m glad I did because there’s no turning back now. I’m sorry about your horrible hospital experience. My hospital is just as bad. Two years ago, I was at my graduation party from college and my boyfriend at the time was complaining about poison ivy on his thighs (he was really allergic). After the party he showed me and we rushed him to the hospital because it was insanely swollen. We waited for six hours and then found out he also had an infection called cellulitis. Long story short, he could’ve gotten even worse because of the reaction and no one came to our room for hours. Horrible experience!
OMG! That’s so scary, Erin. Hospitals suck. Ours wasn’t even busy at the time, so there was no need for them to be so negligent. I’m sorry you had to deal with that equally terrible experience!
No you didn’t! We are now officially bff’s, okay! I love key lime pie and adore cupcakes. This is the perfect dessert marriage!
I’m so glad you agree with me, Jen! xoxo!
I LOVE KEY LIME PIE!! My mouth is puckering just imagining the sour tang!! Yum!
Thanks SaraLily!
hay. I have to apologize for being snarky, but when I saw the title, I thought: “oh! key lime pie cupcakes! That’s something you can’t find in a box.” What was the first ingredient? Key lime pie cake mix. :/ I’m a little bummed.
I’m sorry you’re bummed, Julia, but cake mix is one of my favorite ingredients to use and doctor up. You won’t even tell it’s from a box! However, feel free to use a homemade vanilla cake mix and add lime juice to it for the flavor. It should work the same! 🙂
Whoa, these look heavenly! 3 delicious components in every bite!
I love key lime anything! Especially in a pretty cupcake form. These look amazing!
Thanks Kelly! xoxo!
it seems like that’s just par for te course with ER nurses and such. *eye roll*
I’ glad your sister is ok! Even if she had to endure chillyness sans socks
Thanks girl – I’m glad she’s okay, too, sans socks ha!
These look fantastic! I bet they taste just as good as the photos make them look!
Thanks so much, Stacey! They sure are tasty!
I’m so glad she’s okay!! Love these cupcakes obviously!! Hello, pie in a cupcake!
Right?! Knew you’d love ’em, Dorothy! xoxo!
Darn! No fun! I can’t stand hospitals and ERs. But these cupcakes are amazing and I am totally into key lime this week!
Yeah you are! Keep it up, because I’m into key lime right now, too!
I would definitely need a batch of these after a trip to any hospital, even if everything turned out okay in the end. Love lime and these look fabulous!
Thanks Ashley! I’m on a real lime kick lately 🙂
Love the color of these cupcakes! So fun!
Thanks Nicole! The color is super fun 🙂
What a horrible experience! I am so sorry for your sister but hope everything is okay! These cupcakes could not be more awesome!
Thanks J! xoxo!
That sounds like a horrible experience! Nothing cupcakes and In-N-Out can’t fix! I had In-N-Out for the first time a few weeks ago and it was so good!
Shelby – In N Out is AWESOME! I’m so lucky we have it everywhere in California because it’s so good every time!
Wow! This is such a great idea, especially for summer get togethers. I love citrus flavors when it’s warm out! Pinning, Stumbling, and Yumming!
Thanks a bunch, Sandra! xoxo!
That stinks about your ER. I know a bunch of people who work in ERs are PAs and I’m amazed at the stories they tell me from the other perspective, of people coming in there for everyday things like headaches or worse, trying to trick them into giving them pain killers because they are addicts. They signed up to work in ERs cause they wanted to help emergent cases but 90% of the time they are not. It’s unfortunate that people take advantage of a good system and likely end up jading the staff into not being as friendly as they should be.
You’re totally right, Erin. I bet it’s so hard being a nurse and I’m so glad I’m not one!
Nursing is a stressful job, I know many nurses and they all have high standards. They all tell me all of the hospital stories! I’m so glad I am not a nurse. But these cupcakes sure do look yummy! You will have to give me a few!!!
Dude, I bet it’s a stressful job and I am SO glad I’m not one either!
I agree. My grandma makes apple brown betty tho.
Wow, these cupcakes look fantastic!! The photos are making my mouth water. I’m sorry your family had such a harrowing experience with the ER staff. A family member of mine who has diabetes was once in the hospital following a surgery and the nurses were extremely negligent about bringing insulin to her but prohibited us from bringing her own from home – so frustrating!
Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry about your family member! That’s terrible 🙁 I hope it all worked out!
holy cow. where do these people come from?
*applause* to your response, domie-rebel. Totally enjoying your posts.
Haha, thanks so much Julia. 🙂 xoxo.
um… Wow… I know what I’M doing today now! These are going to be such a delicious summer treat!!
http://www.cookwineandthinker.com
They’re so good Laura!
Hello where would I find key lime cake mix or could I use white cake mix
Hi Sunshyne! Feel free to use white cake mix and use lime juice for the water. 🙂 Easy!
I was thinking a vanilla wafer might be good at the bottom of the cupcake. To mimic a crust and to offset a bit of the tartness. What do you think?
That would absolutely work!