In your mixer, weigh out the butter and caster sugar. Make sure the butter has been softened but not melted.

Mix this for 3-4 minutes until light in colour. Add in the buttermilk and mix until just combined.

Next, add in 1 egg and 1 spoon of flour alternating until all combined. Squeeze in your lime juice and grate in the zest. Mix through by hand.

Pop your batter into some cupcake cases. Ideally using an ice cream scoop and fill around 2/3 full. This should do around 12 cupcakes. Put the tray into a preheated oven at 160 for 22 minutes.

While these are cooking, cut up some quarter slices of lime and pop these into a bowl with a sprinkling of sugar and mix.

Frosting –

Into your mixer, put your softened butter in a mixer and on high for 5 minutes. Add in the icing sugar and mix for 2-3 minutes. Finally add in your cream cheese and mix for 30-40 seconds. All done and delicious!

Decorating –

Colour half the buttercream with a little green food colouring. I used Colour Mill mint green. Pop the frosting into a piping bag adding the plain on one side and green on the other. I used a Finch Bakery 1E nozzle in the piping bag. Once the cupcakes are cool, start piping in the centre and swirl outwards gently squeezing. Finish off with a quarter slice or a sprinkling of lime zest. I also added a little paper straw.

Hints and Tips –
If the buttercream seems a little soft for piping, firm up in the fridge for 15 minutes or add in an extra 25g of icing sugar.
You can tell if the cupcakes are cooked when they feel dry on top. If they feel sticky they aren’t done and cook for a further 2 minutes.
The cream cheese frosting is so delicious, it really does go with lots of flavour cupcakes. Try squeezing a little lime juice over the frosting before eating. Yummy!