mitzireddy

Last year Luscious Lynn and Lovely Linda treated me and Rajen to a trip to the States during the Halloween celebrations as part of our birthday gifts starting in New York and ending in Key West.

We spent most of our holiday in Florida where lime is plentiful which has inspired this post. The cupcake recipe is by Julie Goodwin, the winner of the first season Masterchef Australia and I used Rachel Allen’s vanilla cupcake icing and just adjusted the flavouring.

The lime slices are sinful – I am not sure where I had got this recipe from originally – I just changed the flavouring from lemon to lime.

 Halloween is an annual holiday observed on 31 October in countries that celebrate this tradition and I want to share some Halloween experiences during our trip.

Pumpkins everywhere – New York

Disneyworld, Orlando

 Revelers choosing prime spots – waiting for the Halloween parade to begin - which starts with the headless horseman.

Happiness -

dancing with Goofy to Katie Perry’s – Californian Girls with Goofy

-First  taste of a Micky Mouse icecream cone

The Artist House in Keywest.

And finally the tecipe

Sublime Lime Cupcakes – makes 12

Ingredients:

100 g unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup (165 g) caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
finely grated zest of 3 limes
2 eggs
200g self-raising flour
1/2 cup (125 ml) milk

1 Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan-forced). Line a 12-hole medium muffin pan (1/3 cup capacity) with paper cases. Using electric beaters, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla extract until light and creamy. Mix through the lime zest.

2 Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg. Gently fold through the flour and milk in two alternate batches. Divide the mixture evenly among the paper cases.

3 Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown and springy when touched. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.

ICING

• ·         For the icing:
• ·         100g icing sugar – sifted
• ·         1-2Tbs fresh cream
• ·         1Tsp Lime juice
• ·         crystallised flowers, sugared almonds or other edible decorations of your choice – to decorate

Place the sifted icing sugar in a bowl and add the lime juice – stir and add the fresh cream a little at a time to form a thick paste.

LIME SLICES

2 cups flour

½ cup icing sugar

150g butter

Topping

3 eggs

Zest of 2 limes

¼ cup lime juice

1 ½ cups castor sugar

¼ cup self-raising flour

Handful of coconut (optional)

Preheat oven to 160C.

Line a baking pan (20 x 35cm) with baking paper.

Place the flour, icing sugar and butter in a food processor, mix until a ball is formed around the blade.

Place the dough into the prepared pan and press flat.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Topping

In the same processor bowl (no need to wash) add the eggs, lime juice, zest, castor sugar and self -raising flour.

Process until well combined.

Once the base has cooked for 20 minutes – remove from the oven – pour the topping over the base.

Place back in the oven and bake for a further 15 – 20 minutes or until it feels set in the middle.