These zingy and tangy lime cupcakes are so perfect for Cinco de Mayo! These piñata style cakes are filled with sprinkles for a super fun and festive treat.
Lime Piñata Cupcakes for Cinco de Mayo
I am so in love with these super cute pinata cupcakes! Made from scratch, they are so fun to serve!
They are the perfect dessert to serve during the Cinco de Mayo holiday celebrations, and the lime buttercream frosting is truly divine!
Get the party started with these beauties!
Be sure to try my Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes too!
Why You’ll Love this Piñata Cupcakes Recipe:
- Made from scratch: These lime cupcakes are made from scratch with simple ingredients.
- Kid-friendly: Kids will obviously love eating these, but they’ll also have fun helping you make them.
- Make ahead: These cupcakes are great if you are planning to serve them as part of a big spread.
Trademark Note: In the spirit of transparency, I want to note that some of these ingredients are trademarked products. Wilton is a proprietary brand that I want to acknowledge and give credit to.
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How to Make Lime Piñata Cupcakes for Cinco de Mayo and Beyond!
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
- Combine the dry ingredients together.
- Cream together the butter and sugar.
- Mix in the milk, lime juice and sour cream, then the eggs and lime zest.
- Mix in the dry ingredients.
- Add the food coloring.
- Fill your cupcake molds and bake.
- Once cooled, remove the center of each cupcake and fill with sprinkles.
- Pipe on the lime buttercream frosting, top with more sprinkles and enjoy!
Yes! You can make the cupcakes days ahead before frosting. Keep them in an airtight container and they will keep in the refrigerator for 4 days or at room temperature for 2 days. The frosting can also be made 1 week ahead and stored covered in the refrigerator. Frosted cupcakes should be refrigerated and will be good for 4 days.
Decorated with llama and cactus sprinkles and candy, these are great cupcakes to enjoy for Cinco de Mayo, but they are easy to adapt to suit any holiday. Use orange and black candies for Halloween or heart candies and sprinkles for Valentine’s Day! These also are a great base for a St. Patrick’s Day Cupcake. You can even use the lime buttercream frosting but just decorate how you choose!
Yes! Don’t fret if you make extra! Unfrosted cupcakes will keep well frozen for up to 3 months and the frosting can be frozen separately for up to 6 months. Thaw the cupcakes at room temperature before decorating.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- After the flour is added to the wet mixture, do not mix too much if you plan to add food coloring since once it is added you will be mixing quite a bit more to incorporate the color and you do not want to over mix the batter.
- When you are baking these cupcakes, do not check them until they have been baking for at least 10 minutes as the oven temperature fluctuation could cause them to fall. When you do check them, if they are not finished baking, be sure to slowly and gently close the oven door to prevent them from falling.
These Cinco de Mayo pinata cupcakes are so fun to make and eat! The bright lime flavors are so fresh and zingy, and I know you are going to love that buttercream frosting!
More Cupcake Recipes We Love
- Lemon Cupcakes
- Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- Mardi Gras Cupcakes
- Black Forest Cupcakes
- Key Lime Cupcakes
If you make this recipe be sure to leave us a comment or rating. Enjoy!
Cinco de Mayo Piñata Cupcakes (Lime Cupcake Recipe)
Ingredients
- 2½ cups cake flour 300 grams, see note
- 2 teaspoons baking powder 8 grams
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt 3 grams
- ½ teaspoon baking soda 3 grams
- 1 cup unsalted butter 226 grams, room temperature (2 sticks)
- 1⅓ cups granulated sugar 267 grams
- ⅓ cup milk 76 grams
- ½ cup lime juice 114 grams
- ½ cup sour cream 114 grams, room temperature
- 4 large eggs 200 grams, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons lime zest from 1 lime
- Green food coloring optional
For decorating
- Wilton llama and cactus sprinkle blend
- Lime buttercream recipe (click for recipe)
- Wilton llama and cactus sugar candies
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- Cupcake Tin
- Stand Mixer
- Piping Tip Set
Instructions
For the Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-count cupcake tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.2½ cups cake flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon baking soda
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together for 1 minute on medium speed. Add in the milk, lime juice, and sour cream and mix until combined. Add in the eggs and lime zest and mix until combined.1 cup unsalted butter, 1⅓ cups granulated sugar, ⅓ cup milk, ½ cup lime juice, ½ cup sour cream, 4 large eggs, 2 teaspoons lime zest
- Fold in the flour mixture until the flour has been incorporated. Do not overmix. Add in the green food coloring. Green food coloring will lose a little bit of its coloring as it bakes so, once you have achieved the color you like, add in just a smidge more to make up for the color baking out.Green food coloring
- Fill your cupcake molds ¾ full and bake for 14-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Once baked, let cool on a cooling rack until they reach room temperature.
For the Filling & Decorating
- Once the cupcakes are cooled, using the wide end of a piping tip, remove some cupcake by pressing it at least halfway into the cupcake. Save the removed cupcake piece and set aside in a small bowl. You can use a toothpick to make it easier to remove the cupcake from the piping tip.
- Fill each cupcake with about ½-1 teaspoon of sprinkles. Place the removed cupcake piece back into each hole on top of the sprinkles and press down to make them flush with the rest of the cupcake. It is ok if it does not look pretty, it will get covered up.Wilton llama and cactus sprinkle blend
- Pipe lime buttercream on top of each cupcake. Top with more sprinkles or llama or cactus sugar candy.Lime buttercream recipe, Wilton llama and cactus sugar candies
Notes
- Flour: If you can’t find cake flour, make your own. Measure 1 cup of all-purpose flour. Remove 2 tablespoons from the cup, then add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Whisk together and sift well before using.
- After the flour is added to the wet mixture, do not mix too much if you plan to add food coloring since once it is added you will be mixing quite a bit more to incorporate the color and you do not want to overmix the batter.
- When you are baking these cupcakes, do not check them until they have been baking for at least 10 minutes as the oven temperature fluctuation could cause them to fall. When you do check them, if they are not finished baking, be sure to slowly and gently close the oven door to prevent them from falling.
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