Corona Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Lime Frosting

HAPPY Cinco de Mayo! And happy Derby Day too! I have a busy day ahead that includes visiting with some of my favorite people. Since I will be seeing one set of friends this morning and another for dinner this evening, I decided on baking a last minute batch of cupcakes to bring along to both events. I already made these this morning so you have plenty of time to do the same if you're looking for a last minute "Cinco de Derby" treat.

Being that Corona and lime seemed fitting today, that's the theme I went with. The outcome tastes great, especially the FROSTING. (Yes I just had one for breakfast. So did my husband.) Enjoy!

Corona Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Lime Cream Cheese Frosting

For the cupcakes:
1 box french vanilla cake mix
4 eggs
1 stick melted butter
1 bottle Corona
3 limes, zested and juiced

For the frosting:
(Note: I used a LOT of frosting as I was going for a Georgtown Cupcake look. You could easily get away with cutting this in half to frost 2 dozen cupcakes.)
8 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
2 packages Neufchâtel cheese, softened (or cream cheese)
1 stick butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
2 limes, zested and juiced

For the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350. Mix the cake mix with the eggs. Add in melted butter. Pour in bottle of Corona and finally the lime zest/juice. Mix each ingredient until combined. Bake for approximately 22-26 minutes. Allow to cool. Yields 24 cupcakes.

For the frosting: Mix all ingredients together. Beat for at least three minutes until the icing is fluffy.

Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes as desired. (I made a few quick fondant toppers but a little slice of lime would look great too!)

Have fun this weekend!