Lime in the Coconut

Brother bought a coconut, he bought it for a dime
His sister had another one, she paid it for the lime
She put the lime in the coconut, she drank 'em both up
Put the lime in the coconut, she called the doctor, woke him up, and said

Doctor, ain't there nothin' I can take, I said
Doctor, to relieve this bellyache, I said
Doctor, ain't there nothin' I can take, I said
Doctor, to relieve this bellyache

You put the lime in the coconut, you drink 'em both together
Put the lime in the coconut, then you feel better
Put the lime in the coconut, drink 'em both up
Put the lime in the coconut, and call me in the morning

I cannot get this song out of my head whenever I think of the delicious Coconut Cupcakes with Lime Buttercream Frosting I made from a Cooking Light recipe found on The Life and Loves of Grumpy’s Honeybunch. The only adapting I did was add a bit more coconut flakes and I did take her suggestion of using coconut extract instead of vanilla to really bring out the coconut flavor. These cupcakes turned our super moist and the frosting... well, I could have eaten a whole batch by itself or on some graham crackers. Amazingly enough, this “buttercream” frosting only has two tablespoons of butter in it, so it is far from the traditional guilty little pleasure.

Cupcakes:
Cooking spray
4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
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 fat-free milk
4 tablespoons flaked sweetened coconut
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

Frosting
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon half-and-half
1/2 teaspoon grated lime rind
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
4.75 ounces powdered sugar, sifted (about 1 1/3 cups)
Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare cupcakes, place 2 muffin cup liners in each of 12 muffin cups; coat liners with cooking spray.

Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt in a small bowl; stir with a whisk.

Combine 3/4 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until blended (mixture will be the consistency of damp sand). Add egg and egg white, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to egg mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Fold in coconut and coconut extract.

Spoon batter evenly into prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350° for 18 minutes or until cupcakes spring back when touched lightly in the center. Cool in pan 2 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

To prepare frosting, combine 3 tablespoons butter, half and half, lime rind and lime juice in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating just until smooth. Spread about 2 1/2 teaspoons frosting onto each cupcake.

Eat remaining frosting with a large spatula.