Lemon-Lime Cupcakes
I can’t get over how good these are. These cupcakes are moist, sweet, tart and oh-so-satisfying for only 5 Green, Blue or Purple myWW SmartPoints each. As I mentioned in a previous post for Lemon Poppy Seed Doughnuts, I am on a real citrus kick for Spring. I wanted to create a frosted cupcake that showcased real lemon and lime flavors rather than having that fake lemon taste that “lemon flavored” sweets sometimes have. These fit the bill perfectly. They’re light, tangy, sweet and fresh tasting. I urge you to drop whatever it is you’re doing and make them right now – you won’t be disappointed! To view your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, click here!
I just purchased my first piping bag for icing and I definitely need some practice before my cupcakes look like something out of a magazine. Trust me, I only took pictures of the best ones. Still, it was fun to experiment with it even if I did give up halfway through frosting these and just use a knife. Tips are welcome!
Lemon-Lime Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 (18.25 oz) box of yellow cake mix , (I used Betty Crocker Super Moist)
- 1 can of diet lemon-lime soda, I used Sprite Zero
- 2 egg whites
- 1 lemon
- 1 lime
- 8 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese , do not substitute fat free
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven per directions on cake mix box.
- Line cupcake pan(s) with 24 cupcake liners or use cooking spray to lightly coat 24 spots
- Zest both the lemon and lime and set zest aside. Cut both fruits in half. Using a reamer, or by hand, ream/squeeze the juice from half a lemon and half a lime into a large bowl. Set the other halves aside.
- In the large bowl with the lemon & lime juice, add the cake mix, soda, egg whites and half of the lemon and lime zest. Beat together with an electric mixer until thoroughly mixed. Pour mixture evenly into cupcake spaces, filling each about 2/3 full.
- Bake according to directions on cake mix box. Let cool completely before frosting.
- In a separate bowl, squeeze or ream the juice from the remaining lemon and lime halves* and add the remaining zest, the Neufchatel cheese and the sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and then use to frost the cupcakes.
- *I've had a few people say if you have especially large lemons or limes then a half of each is too much for the frosting and makes it runny. The frosting isn't meant to be stiff per say, but you may want to mix the cream cheese and powdered sugar first and then add the lemon and lime juice bit by bit until you reach your desired flavor & consistency!
Notes
3 per cupcake (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)
Just ate one of these after my lunch. So yummy!!!
LOVED these cupcakes. I had just watched Cupcake Wars on Food Network and was definitely craving some! Thanks for bringing them over 🙂 The lemon-lime flavor was bright and fresh. Perfect for spring.
Ohmygosh, Emily, these look so good!!! I think I might try making a vegan version of them :0)
These look and sound amazing! Thanks for sharing!
they look delicious!
Just made these tonight. They are so amazing!! And only 3 points! Thank you so much, Emily!
Just made these for Easter tomorrow…of course, I couldn’t resist sampling one! They are absolutely delicious! I can’t believe that something that good is only 3 points =)
These will make a perfect Easter treat! Thanks Tonia, I hope they’re a hit!
Cupcakes are in the oven right now and frosting is chilling in the fridge…I licked a tiny bit off the beaters after I finished the frosting and OMG it was luscious. Can’t wait to taste the finished product.
The cupcakes are delicious! 🙂 I did want to add that I don’t think it was so much your pastry bag that was the problem in frosting these — the icing is very thin. I used the Dessert Decorator that you’ve used with your other cupcakes and the icing falls and flattens out pretty quickly. These are best frosted with a knife, I’m guessing because of the lemon and lime juice in the frosting making it a bit thin.
Kari – I’m glad you loved them! Yeah, the extra juice does make the frosting a little wetter than usual. It’s probably best to just spread it with a knife. If you want thicker frosting you could add more powdered sugar, but I’d imagine that would change the P+ value. Glad the problem wasn’t just my lack of pastry bag skills! Haha.
omigosh I just made these. AMAZING! I loved them!!!!
These cupcakes are amazing. SO moist, even days after I made them!
Wow! Turned out Amazing! I don’t know how I won’t eat all of them. My frosting turned out to be a pretty decent consistency. Maybe I had small lemons and limes.
They are so so good! Should these be refrigerated because of the cream cheese in the icing?
I always refrigerate them. I love cold cake anyway! 🙂
Emily
Have you updated the points on this recipe for Smart Points? I know I can run it through the recipe builder but if you had already done that, I didn’t see any reason to “recreate the wheel.”
Emily
Are these mini cupcakes?
Nope, normal sized