Packed with tart and floral flavor, these key lime cupcakes are one of my summertime favorites! They’re light, fluffy, and–here’s my favorite secret–start with a simple box of cake mix. Between the tangy key lime buttercream and that surprise vanilla pudding center, nobody will ever guess these came together in under an hour. It just isn’t summer at my house until a batch of these refreshing cupcakes hits the cooling rack.
Key Lime Pie Cupcakes with Pudding Filling
These key lime pie cupcakes are the ultimate summer shortcut! They have all the tart, zesty magic of a classic key lime pie tucked into a fluffy cupcake with a hidden creamy vanilla pudding center that keeps every bite incredibly moist. I love using a white cake mix as a base because it lets the fresh key lime juice really shine. These pudding-filled cupcakes taste like pure sunshine and take less than an hour to whip up, making them my go-to for busy weekend BBQs!
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How to Level Up Your Buttercream
Before you start your buttercream, I recommend creaming your room-temperature butter, shortening, and lime zest alone for 2 minutes, then letting it sit for about 10 minutes before adding the sugar. This allows the citric acid and essential oils in the lime zest time to break down into the fats, creating a smoother frosting with a deep lime flavor. If you’re in a rush, you can skip this step and just mix everything at once. It’ll still be delish!
Key Lime Cupcakes Recipe
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- Cupcake Tin
- Stand Mixer
- Piping Tip Set
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 13.25 ounces white cake mix (1 box)
- ¾ cup water
- ¼ cup key lime juice (from 5-7 limes)*
- 4 teaspoons key lime zest (from 4-6 limes)
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
For the Filling:
- 3.4 ounces instant vanilla pudding mix (1 box)**
- 2 cups milk
For the Buttercream:
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature (2 sticks)
- ¼ cup vegetable shortening ***
- 4½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons key lime juice (from 2-3 limes)
- 2 teaspoons key lime zest (from 2-3 limes)
For the Topping:
- ¼ cup crushed vanilla wafers ****
- 12 key lime slices (from 3-4 limes)
Instructions
For the Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake tin with liners and set aside.
- Mix the cake mix, water, lime juice, lime zest, vegetable oil, and eggs together in a large bowl.13.25 ounces white cake mix, ¾ cup water, ¼ cup key lime juice, 4 teaspoons key lime zest, ⅓ cup vegetable oil, 3 large eggs
- Fill the cupcake liners ¾ full of batter.
- Bake for 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Once baked, remove from the oven and place onto a cooling rack to cool to room temperature.
For the Filling:
- Prepare the vanilla pudding according to the box directions. Once set, spoon into a piping bag and cut the tip off to make a roughly a dime-sized opening. Set aside.3.4 ounces instant vanilla pudding mix, 2 cups milk
For the Buttercream:
- Place all of the ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed for 4-5 minutes, or until smooth and creamy. Fill a piping bag fitted with a star tip ¾ full with frosting and set aside.1 cup unsalted butter, ¼ cup vegetable shortening, 4½ cups powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons key lime juice, 2 teaspoons key lime zest
For Assembly:
- Once the cupcakes have cooled, use a piping tip to hollow out the center of each cupcake. Save the removed cupcake piece and place into a bowl to use later.
- Once all of the cupcakes are hollowed out, pipe the vanilla pudding into the holes in the cupcakes. Replace the piece of cupcake that was removed and press down to keep the pudding in place.
- Pipe the buttercream onto the top of the cupcakes into the shape that you desire. Either roll the cupcake in the crushed vanilla wafers or, using your hands, scoop crushed vanilla wafers and press into the sides of the buttercream on the cupcake. Top each cupcake with a lime slice.¼ cup crushed vanilla wafers, 12 key lime slices
Notes
- Hosting a backyard BBQ for a crowd? Double all ingredients to make a batch of 24 cupcakes.
- Don’t overmix the batter, or your cupcakes will turn out rubbery. Mix just until you no longer see streaks of flour.
- If you’re prepping these earlier in the day, use 2 tbsp less milk when prepping the pudding. This will make it a bit thicker and less likely to seep into the cupcakes.
- Wait to add the lime slices until just before serving so you don’t waterlog the frosting.
My Favorite Decorating Trick: Candied Limes
If you really want to wow your guests, try candying your lime slices. It turns them into a tasty edible garnish! To do this, bring 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar to a boil in a small saucepan. Simmer your thinly-sliced limes for 15-20 minutes, then let them dry completely on a cooling rack, about 1 hour.
How to Make Key Lime Cupcakes Step-by-Step
Mix the Batter: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake tin with paper liners and set aside. Mix 13.25 ounces (1 box) of white cake mix, ¾ cup of water, ¼ cup of key lime juice, 4 teaspoons of key lime zest, ⅓ cup of vegetable oil, and 3 large eggs together in a large bowl. Take care not to overmix the batter, stopping as soon as you no longer see streaks of flour. This prevents your cupcakes from turning out dry and rubbery.
Portion the Cupcakes: Fill the cupcake liners ¾ full of batter. I like to use a cookie scoop or a ¼-cup measuring cup to get them all the same size.
Bake the Cupcakes: Bake your key lime cupcakes in the preheated oven for 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Once baked, remove from the oven and place onto a cooling rack to cool to room temperature while you make the filling.
Mix the Filling: Prepare the vanilla pudding according to the box directions using 3.4 ounces (1 box) of vanilla pudding and 2 cups of milk (use 2 tablespoons less milk for a thicker filling, if desired). Once the pudding has set, spoon it into a piping bag and cut the tip off to make a roughly dime-sized opening. Set aside while you make the buttercream.
Beat the Buttercream: Place 1 cup of room-temperature unsalted butter, ¼ cup of vegetable shortening (to help the frosting hold its shape in the summer heat), and 2 teaspoons of key lime zest to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (for an extra-flavorful zing, beat just these three ingredients together as mentioned in my tip above!) Next, add 4½ cups of powdered sugar and 2 teaspoons of key lime juice, and beat on medium-high speed for 4-5 minutes, or until smooth and creamy. Fill a piping bag fitted with a star tip ¾ full with frosting and set aside while you prep the cooled cupcakes.
Hollow the Cupcakes: Once the cupcakes have cooled, use a piping tip to hollow out the center of each cupcake. Press the large end of the piping tip down into the cupcake until the small end sits almost flush with the top of the cupcake. Wiggle the piping tip around and remove it from the cupcake. Run a toothpick around the inside of the piping tip to remove the cupcake piece and place it into a bowl to use later.
Fill the Cupcakes: Once all of the cupcakes are hollowed out, pipe the vanilla pudding into the holes in the cupcakes. Replace the piece of cupcake that was removed and press down to keep the pudding in place.
Frost the Cupcakes: Pipe the buttercream onto the top of the cupcakes into the shape that you desire. Either roll the cupcake in ¼ cup of crushed vanilla wafers or, using your hands, scoop crushed vanilla wafers and press into the sides of the buttercream on the cupcake. Top each cupcake with a key lime slice just before serving.
How to Store
Store leftover pudding-filled key lime cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I don’t recommend freezing these cupcakes, as the filling tends to turn out watery once thawed.
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