Kiwi Cupcakes with Lime Frosting

Although I’m not really a summer person (I can’t stand the heat!), one of the things I love about summer is the wonderful fresh fruit that it brings: peaches and berries of every variety are abundant and are perfectly juicy and sweet. Unfortunately, fruit in the winter tends to be limited to apples and bananas – blah. However, it’s summer in the southern hemisphere right now, which means that kiwis are plentiful and cheap, to boot.

I recently bought a ton of kiwis with a new cupcake recipe in mind. 

Unfortunately, my first attempt at it was a bit of a failure. Kiwis have a lot of water in them, and their flavor is really subtle, so my addition of a healthy dose of kiwi puree resulted in wobbly cupcakes with a fair amount of kiwi flavor. I decided that the solution would be to reduce the kiwi puree so as to get rid of a lot of the water and intensify the kiwi flavor. 

The cupcakes came out great the second time around, and the kiwi flavor is present, but it’s just not as strong as I want it to be. I don’t think it’s possible because kiwis are a subtle fruit (as opposed to berries, which are intensely flavorful). Regardless, these cupcakes are really good, and the tang of the lime cream cheese frosting is a nice complement to the cake. And they’re great for a cold rainy day like today when summer seems so far away.

Kiwi Cupcakes with Lime Frosting
(makes 8)

For the cupcakes:
4 kiwis
¾ cup flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
½ stick (4 tablespoons butter), room temperature
½ cup sugar
1 large egg
¼ teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk

For the frosting:
3 ounces cold cream cheese
4 teaspoons butter (room temperature)
¾ cup confectioners sugar, sifted
½ teaspoon lime zest (from ½ small lime)

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Make the cupcakes:
Heat an oven to 350º F. Line 8 muffin cups with papers and set aside.

Peel and coarsely chop three of the kiwis. Puree the chopped kiwi and strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds. Add the puree to a small saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat until reduced to ¼ cup, about 30 minutes. (The puree will get darker and will end up having the consistency of applesauce.)

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter until it is pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and beat until it is well incorporated and the mixture is smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat well until the mixture is smooth, about 1 minute. Add the milk and kiwi puree and mix until just combined. 

Add the flour mixture and mix to just combine. (If using a stand mixer, mix on the lowest speed; if using a hand mixer, stir in the flour by hand.) Divide the batter evenly among the cups (each one will be about 2/3 full). Bake until lightly golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, 20-22 minutes.

While the cupcakes are baking, peel the remaining kiwi and slice it into 8 slices (they will be thin).

Make the frosting:
Beat the cream cheese until it is smooth and lump free. Add the butter and beat to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add half the sugar. Mix to combine. Scrape down the bowl again, add the rest of the sugar, and mix well to combine. Add the lime zest and mix to combine. 

Assemble the cupcakes:
Spread about 1 ½ tablespoons of frosting onto each cupcake and spread with a spatula. Top each cupcake with a kiwi slice.