Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
Happy Monday! I have to admit that I’m a bit brain dead as I write this. I just got home from a red eye after the most amazing weekend in Wine Country. Andy was the best man in his best man’s wedding and it was truly unforgettable. (I’ll post some pics from the weekend in the next couple days!)
Anyway- before I make myself a little cocoon and sleep the morning away, I thought I’d share this delicious cupcake recipe with you. I made these a couple weekends ago when a few friends were celebrating Andy’s birthday at the huge outdoor beer garden in Astoria. I brought a dozen of these and they were the perfect picnic-y summery treat.
I struggle sometimes to think of desserts that are refreshing in the summer while not being frozen. The key for me is usually fruity, not too sweet, and light in texture. I thought that a citrus-based cupcake with some berries tossed in would be perfect, and they really were.
These cupcakes look like muffins but are definitely cake-like in their light, crumb-y texture. The berries added bursts of tart juicy-ness, and the frosting was perfect it that it wasn’t too much or too sweet. (I find that when I swirl the frosting on rather than pipe it, I am able to make it look cute without piling it on so high.)
So there you have it. I am off to hibernate. Also- my wedding is 2 months from today- what do you think about that? I am pretty excited/nervous/thrilled. Not gonna lie. :)
Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- Finely grated zest of 3 lemons, about 3 tablespoons, plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 cups fresh blueberries plus more for garnish
- 1 cup 2 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 4-5 cups of powdered sugar
- zest of one lemon
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Set aside.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is until incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in zest and vanilla.
- Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk and lemon juice, and beating until just combined after each. Gently fold in blueberries.
- Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes
For the Frosting:
- Cream together the butter and cream cheese until thick and creamy.
- Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time until mixture is thick and dense. (You make only need 4 cups.)
- Add the zest, and juice, one tablespoon at a time until consistency is smooth and spreadable. Swirl or pipe frosting as desired and garnish with blueberries.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
Cupcake recipe slightly adapted from Martha Stewart
These look absolutely delish! Thanks for sharing and congratulations on your upcoming wedding! :)
http://goo.gl/928LL
Beautiful! I love lemon desserts so. freaking. much. These are the perfect summery non-frozen treat!
Gorgeous. Love these flavors!
lemon + blueberry is a favorite flavor combination for me. I love the way you decorate your cakes and cupcakes, Audra!
I tried to make blueberry muffins but realized whoops no blueberries so I made mango muffins instead but now I want a blueberry cupcake of yours!
I love blubberyyyyyyyyy
So adorable! The cream cheese frosting sounds simply divine!
These are just lovely. I love the delicate blueberry garnish.
These sound absolutely delicious!
What a perfect summer dessert – and the perfect excuse to have cupcakes for breakfast! :)
How serendipitous! I have all of those ingredients on hand!
These are so pretty! I have such trouble making a pretty swirl like that and always have to use a piping bag. I love the lemon and blueberry combo all year, but especially in the summer!
Mmm I love the look of these!
I don’t care for blueberries, but I wonder how these would taste with strawberries….
These cupcakes are positively adorable. I want to eat a bowl of that icing and anything citrusy in the summer is welcome on my tongue (it’s been 100 degrees here for the past week and will continue for at least another week)
I made those as muffins and they were fantastic! Everyone loved them! It has the right amount of sweetness, I just wish they woul be more lemony so next time I would add more lemon juice! Thank you for the amazing recipes!
can you use this as a cake instead of cupcakes?
sorry my name is Lauren not Laurfen
Hey Lauren! I think these would work just fine as a cake, though I’m not exactly sure which pan would be the correct size. Just make sure whichever size pan you use is only 2/3 of the way full!
These are amazing!!! I’ve made them twice and everyone loves them. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
ok Audra thank you for letting me know ill let u know how it comes out :)
I made them yday and i would say they are awesome! need thought lemon and blueberry would make such a perfect combination. this is also my first time baking cupcakes with frosting! i suppose this recipe has inspired me to cont the frosting journey. however, i’d like to know if you can show me how did you manage the pretty frosting?
I made these as minis yesterday but added some poppy seeds & decreased the sugar… they were super tasty :) Thanks!
One question do you have any sub’s for butter milk because I am all out and cannot go to a grocery store at the moment thanks
Do you have any sub for buttermilk
I used the standard substitution of 1 cup of milk (slightly less, like 1 tsp-1tbsp) and then fill that remaining 1 tsp-1tbsp with vinegar. Let that sit for 10-15 minutes and it is your buttermilk. Some people use yougurt or sour cream in place of buttermilk. I am sure that there is info on that somewhere.
Yes! Sorry for the late reply. You can use milk with lemon or vinegar, sour cream, or yogurt in place of the buttermilk. Thanks!
what kind of sugar should we use? :)
White sugar !
I liked this recipe a lot. The freshness of the lemon adds extra flavor to the blueberries. I would add 1/2 tsp more of baking powder to make the cupcakes a bit more spongy. Thanks for this recipe.
Really really yummy :). Thanks for the recipe. My 21 month old son exclaimed wooow after taking a bite!!! I guess that says it all…
I’m so glad you hear that! And yes- little kids are the best critics :)
Could I make these in mason jars?
Hey Kim- I have never baked in mason jars so I’m not sure but let me know if you try!