Mini Key Lime Cheesecakes Recipe

Key Lime Cheesecake is one of my all time favorite desserts and hits the spot really anytime!  Imagine deliciously tart and sweet and yummy all rolled out into one cute little cheesecake!  I usually make this recipe using a springform pan (so that is always an option just bake for about 50-60 minutes instead), but I thought they would be cute to bring to a BBQ individually sized. I actually made two batches of this recipe this weekend- one using sugar and the other using Splenda (same measurements).  So anyone who is diabetic, this will surely hit their sweet tooth! It makes a total of 12 tarts.

Crust

1 1/4 cup of graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 dash of cinnamon 

Filling

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup of sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons of flour

2 eggs

1/2 cup of key lime juice

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 drop of green food coloring

Whipped Cream For The Topping

1.  Mix the graham cracker crumbs and sugar with the melted butter.  Grease a cupcake tin.  Scoop a little bit out of the graham cracker mixture and then press onto the bottom.  Bake at 375 degrees for 3 minutes.  Allow this to cool while preparing your filling. 

2.  Set your oven down to 325 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and flour until it is fully smooth.  Add your wet ingredients next including the eggs, juice, vanilla and food coloring (seriously only one drop guys 2 honestly puts it over the top.)  Stir until mixed (be careful not to over beat your batter). 

3.  Scoop mixture into the individually sized tins.  There will be enough to make 12.  Pop in your oven for 20 minutes and then allow the cheesecakes to cool.  Run a knife around the edges to allow it to loosen.  Allow the cheesecakes to cool for over an hour and then place in the fridge over night or for several hours.  Top with whip cream and enjoy!

Cherry Limeade Cupcakes Recipe

My aunt and little cousin's birthday happen to be on the same day.  We were already having a Justin Bieber themed party for the little one and I still wanted to do a little something special for my aunt; enter Cherry Limeade Cupcakes, since this drink is her favorite during the summertime!  I needed some inspiration so I based my recipe off the one I found on Annie's Eats!  The cake portion is moist, tart and limey, which is balanced out by the creamy sweet Whipped Maraschino Cherry Buttercream Frosting!  I brought the extras into work and they were a huge hit!

Limeade Cake 

6 cups of cake flour, sifted

1/2 teaspoon of salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 sticks of butter, at room temperature

2 cups of sugar

2 limes (zest one and use the juice of both)

1 can of frozen limeade concentrate, thawed

1 teaspoon of vanilla

6 eggs

1 cup of milk

3/4 cup of lemon-lime soda (I happened to have cherry 7 up on hand so I used that)

Lime Syrup

1/4 cup limeade concentrate, thawed

1/4 cup of sugar

Whipped Maraschino Cherry Buttercream Frosting

3 sticks of butter, at room temperature

9 cups of powdered sugar

1/2 cup of Maraschino cherry juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream

Red Food Dye

Garnish

Maraschino cherries

Lime slices, quartered

Straws (Instead of buying special straws, I just cut mine down to size)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl add the cake flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda together.  Mix until combined.  

2.  In a separate bowl cream the butter until it is light and fluffy.  Add in the sugar and blend.  Now add the lime zest juice, limeade concentrate and vanilla.  Using a mixer, start to blend the ingredients and then add the eggs, one by one.  

3.  Add half the flour mixture and half of the milk and continue to mix the ingredients.  Add the remaining flour and milk to the batter and mix until everything is incorporated.  Fold in the lemon-lime soda. 

4.  Using an ice cream scoop, spoon the batter into lined cupcake tins.  Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  This recipe will make almost 4 dozen cupcakes, it came out to baking 42 cupcakes for me.  Make sure you bake the cupcakes in two batches, so the cupcakes will bake evenly.

5.  Once the cupcakes have cooled, take a fork and poke 3 times on the top of the cupcakes.  Prepare the lime syrup by whisking the two ingredients together.  Take a spoon and drizzle this on top of all the cupcakes.  This is what gives the cupcake the extra tanginess and fresh limeade flavor!

6.   In another bowl beat the butter until it is light and fluffy.  Add the powdered sugar, juice, vanilla and whipping cream together until it is the desired consistency.  Add the red food coloring and blend until smooth.  Frost on the top of cupcakes.  

7.  Garnish with cherries, lime wedges and straws!  

Sweet Potato Cakes with a Peach Lime Salsa

This is the perfect recipe to make while entertaining for guests.  It's totally different than probably anything they would expect you to make and is perfect out on the patio!  The fruity and refreshing salsa compliments the sweetness and warm depth of the flavors from the potato.  Try using the peach salsa on top of grilled chicken or fish too! 

2 sweet potatoes

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 yellow onion, minced

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons of butter

1 pinch of nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves

1/2 cup of panko crumbs

Salt and Freshly Ground Potatoes

For The Peach Salsa

2 ripe peaches, with skins removed, diced

2 teaspoons of honey

4 mint leaves, chopped finely

1 teaspoon of chili pepper puree (the kind that comes in a tube)

1 tomato, diced

2 green onions, sliced thinly

1 tablespoon lime juice

1.  Take a fork and poke several holes in the sweet potatoes.  Microwave the potatoes for about 8 minutes or until tender and then peel the skins off of them.

2.  In a frying pan, add olive oil garlic and onions and saute for about 3-5 minutes or until tender.

2.  In a medium sized bowl mash the potatoes.  Then add the garlic, onions, butter, nutmeg and ground cloves.  Combine all ingredients and shape into pattys.  Put in a bowl in the refrigerator for about 15-30 minutes while making the salsa by combining all the ingredients.

3.  Heat the pan that you used to saute the onions and garlic.  Add the patties and cook for about 3-5 minutes on each side.  Place on a dish and then serve with the salsa.