Tropical Cupcakes

Key Lime Cupcakes
from Cupcakes by the Cake Mix Doctor
makes 24 cupcakes

24 paper liners for cupcake pans (2 1/2-inch size)

CUPCAKES

1 large lime, scrubbed (for 1 teaspoon zest and 2 tablespoons juice)
4 large eggs
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow cake mix
1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix
1 1/4 cups water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon coconut flavoring

FILLING

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup Key lime juice

COCONUT MERINGUE (Coconut Whipped Cream recipe below)

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Reserved 3 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon coconut flavoring
1/3 cup granulated sugar

A few notes: Most of the people I made these for do not enjoy coconut one bit. SO I my cupcakes were minus any coconut. I substituted it all for Raspberry extract. So the cupcakes were raspberry with a keylime filling and raspberry topping. My whipped cream is usually a little dense so each cupcake was topped with a raspberry.
Onto the Key limes- KEY limes are very small, VERY small. So juicing them is a pain in the butt. I don't have a juicer so I would cut them in half and turn them inside out. They also have seeds, another pain in the butt. But you can just train. I would suggest you wear gloves for the key lime part, you may have cuts you can't see but the juice will let you know there's one there. My camera is still gone so no pictures :( But these are by far my most popular cupcakes