Coconut cupcakes with lime butter cream frosting

Today is the exact date when one year ago my husband started his amazing-straight-out-of-college job. I am so proud of him, how hard he worked to graduate with two degrees, and how hard he works now to provide for his family. And what better way to say "thank you" and "I am so proud of you" and even "I love you" than with butter and sugar?

So I made one of his favorite desserts, coconut cupcakes with lime butter cream frosting.

The cakes are light, melt-in-your-mouth, and the butter cream frosting is, well, buttery and creamy, and spiked with just the right amount of lime juice to contrast the indulgent sweetness. Try them, and get a little taste of tropical paradise.

Adapted from Cooking Light, May 2009
*The recipe states it makes one dozen, but I think this is done by those brilliant cooking light test kitchen chefs (dream job!) in order to claim that each little cupcake has less calories in them than when you make nine normal size cupcakes. Use this recipe, but just make nine, because, let's be honest, if you made 12 smaller cupcakes, you would have to eat two.

For the cakes:
4.5 oz all-purpose flour
3 tbsp potato starch (I think you can sub corn starch)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c sugar
2 tbsp butter (softened)
1 egg and 1 egg white
2/3 c milk (I used 1%)
3 tbsp shredded sweetened coconut (I also added about 1/4 c unsweetened shaved coconut)
Preheat oven to 350. Grease nine* muffin cups, or line with liners. Combine flour, starch, baking powder, and salt; stir together.
Beat sugar and butter together until mixture resembles course sand. Add egg and egg white, beat well. Add flour mixture and milk alternatively to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Fold in coconut. Pour equal amounts into the nine prepared muffin cups, fill the remaining three with water to prevent burning. Bake for about 18 minutes, or until done in center. Cool two minutes in pan, then turn onto rack to finish cooling completely before frosting.
For the frosting:
3 tbsp butter (softened)
splash (about 1 tsp) milk or cream
zest of 1 lime
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
about 1 c powdered sugar
Beat butter, milk, lime zest and juice. Gradually add powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy. Enjoy.