KEY LIME CUPCAKES FROM SCRATCH RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour three 8 inch round cake pans.  In the bowl of your mixer and the cake mix, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and zest of 2 limes.  
• Whisk for 30 seconds to combine.  Add the melted butter, egg whites, lime juice, milk and oil.
• Mix 1 minute at medium speed, scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl then mix 1 minute more.
• Divide the batter between three prepared 8 inch round pans.  Bake for approximately 22 to 25 minutes.  Let cool 5 to 10 minutes then turn out of pans. 
• In a saucepan, add the sugar, cornstarch and water.  Over medium heat, stir the mixture constantly until it thickens and comes to a boil.  Boil for 1 minute, remove from the heat.
• Spoon about 1/2 cup of the hot mixture into a small bowl containing the egg yolks and stir quickly until combined.
• Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan.  Return pan to medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, approximately 2 minute.  Th mixture will thicken slightly.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, lime juice and lime zest.  Cool before using.
• Freeze the mixing bowl and whisk attachment or beaters  15 minutes or move before whipping the cream ( 30 minutes if chilling in the refrigerator.
• Use the whisk attachment for a stand mixer, beaters on your hand mixer.  Beat the cream until stiff peak stage — when you lift the beater and the cream stands straight up forming a peak.  Keep in the refrigerator while completing the next step.
• In another bowl, combine the cream cheese and  powdered sugar.  Mix until smooth.  Fold this into the whipped cream  Cover and refrigerate.  If you are piping this frosting and it becomes too soft, just refrigerate the piping bag for a short while.
• A cake frosted with this must be refrigerated.  Before serving your cake, remove from the  refrigerator an hour or two before serving to warm up a bit.