Bright and fresh, these cupcakes rely on lemon and lime for their tangy taste. Note that these are more European-style cake than American, which means they're a bit drier and denser than what you might be used to. But if you enjoy that style of cake — where frosting fill the richness quotient, with cake providing great flavor — then these cakes are for you
To make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place cupcake liners in the 12 cups of a muffin pan. Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven.
Beat together the oil, sugar, lemon juice powder, salt, and lime zest until light in color, about 2 minutes at medium-high speed.
Beat in the lime juice; then the eggs, one at a time, until the mixture lightens in color, about 2 minutes at medium-high speed.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder.
At low speed, add one-third of the flour mixture to the batter, beating gently to combine. Gently beat in half the milk. Mix in another third of the flour, then the remaining milk. Stir in the remaining flour and mix until blended, about 30 seconds.
Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each cup about 2/3 full.
Bake until a toothpick or paring knife inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 16 to 20 minutes; the cakes will remain quite pale.
Remove the cupcakes from the oven, and after 5 minutes transfer to a rack to cool.
To make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients to make a smooth glaze about the consistency of molasses, adding additional liquid or confectioners' sugar as needed.
To glaze cupcakes: Dip cooled cupcakes into the glaze. Sprinkle with zest; the glaze sets up quickly, so be sure to sprinkle with zest right after dipping.
Storage information: Store leftover lemon-lime cupcakes at room temperature in an airtight container for two days; freeze for longer storage.
