New and Improved Key Lime: Dairy-Free Key Lime Pie Cupcakes

Do you ever wish you could just have one bite of homemade key lime pie? Well, I decided to make a recipe that allows you to taste the treat even if you’re dairy-free. These dairy-free key lime pie cupcakes will remind you of the real thing. Not to mention, cupcakes are perfect for parties since they represent smaller versions of the pie and are easy to transport. 

The base of this cupcake recipe is a Duncan Hines Angel Food box, which saves time. The unique and homemade icing recipe that you add on top will really make the key lime taste pop.

Dairy-Free Angel Food Cupcakes

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 5 minutesCook time: 40 minutesTotal time: 45 minutesServings:24 servings

Ingredients

• 1 box Duncan Hines Angel Food Cake Mix
• 1 1/4 cups water

Instructions

1. 
   

   Preheat the oven to 350° (F). Add the box ingredients to a bowl and add the water as well. Mix for a little less than a minute until combined.

2. 
   

   Line the cupcake tray with cupcake tins. Add a heavy spoonful of the cake mixture to each tin.

3. 
   

   Bake for around 40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

I picked angel food cake as the base because it only requires two ingredients. This is a great way to save time, especially if you’re planning on serving them at a party. They can be made ahead of time, frozen, and then decorated on the day of the party.

Furthermore, these cupcakes are really light and fluffy, which pairs perfectly with a key lime frosting. I didn’t want the icing to overpower a yellow cake flavor. Instead, the angel food cake and the icing can work together to taste tart, citrusy, and sweet all at once. I came up with the icing recipe myself, so here is how to make angel food cake into dairy-free key lime pie cupcakes:

Dairy-Free Key Lime Frosting

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 15 minutesTotal time: 15 minutesServings:24 servings

Ingredients

• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup key lime juice
• 1 Tablespoon coconut milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 Tablespoons Crisco
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs optional for decoration

Instructions

1. 
   

   Add all of the ingredients to a mixing bowl (minus the graham crackers).

2. 
   

   Mix on low speed until the frosting is smooth, but still stiff.

3. 
   

   Use a spoon to spread the icing on the cupcakes and pour the graham cracker crumbs in a bowl.

4. 
   

   Gently roll the frosted cupcakes in the crumbs.

5. 
   

   Serve and enjoy!

These dairy-free key lime pie cupcakes taste like the real thing. They feature a creamy, yet dairy-free key lime icing, which is similar in taste to a key lime pie filling. Graham crackers are also incorporated to remind key lime pie lovers of the classic graham cracker crust. 

It’s pretty easy to make dairy-free frosting if you use crisco and coconut milk instead of butter and regular milk. Angel food cake is also easy to make, but has the added benefits of being low in calories and naturally dairy-free.

Overall, this recipe doesn’t contain as many calories as other cupcake recipes do. There are about 140 calories or less in one angel food cupcake. The icing with graham crackers on top also has a similar number of calories. These two numbers combined aren’t too bad for a decadent dessert.

The recipe also avoids a lot of unhealthy fat calories. This is because the cupcakes are completely dairy-free  and use plant-based ingredients. For example, there is no fat in angel food cake and the icing is mainly made up of sugar, except for some Crisco. 

Everyone will love these light and citrusy cupcakes that taste just like key lime pie, so give this recipe a try for your next summer gathering. 

• Dessert