Recipe: Coconut Cupcakes with Lime Buttercream Frosting

I took advantage of the snowy afternoon to go through my back issues of Cooking Light, cutting out the recipes that I hadn't tried but I wanted to and put the rest in the recycling bin.  Today's qualification:  If I have to drive to get an ingredient, I'm not doing it.   The frosting on these cupcakes is amazing! 

Makes 12

Cupcakes:

4.5 oz (1 cup) flour

3 tablespoons potato starch (did quick online research and determined that I could use cornstarch - good thing since I was not going to the store)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 large egg

1 large egg white

2/3 cup skim milk

2 tablespoons flaked sweetened coconut

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Frosting:

3 tablespoons butter, softened

1 teaspoon half and half (used skim milk)

1/2 teaspoon grated lime rind

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

4.75 oz (1 1/3 cups) powdered sugar, sifted

Preheat oven to 350.  Place muffin liners in pan. spray with cooking spray.  Weigh/lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level with knife.  Combine flour through salt in small bowl and mix with a whisk.   Combine sugar and butter in large bowl, beat with a mixer at medium until blended.  Add egg and egg white, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add flour and milk alternately to egg mixture, beginning and ending with the flour.  Fold in coconut and vanilla.   Spoon batter evenly into prepared muffin cups.  Bake at 350 for 18 minutes (time was just right, even by Colorado standards) until cupcakes spring back when touched lightly in the middle.   Cool completely before frosting.

To make the (delicious) frosting, combine 3 tablespoons of butter, half and half (or milk), rind and juice and beat at medium speed until smooth.  Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating until just smooth.  Spread about 2.5 teaspoons of frosting onto each cupcake.  Only 196 calories!