My go-to, most requested dessert from friends and family is my blueberry lemon cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting. The first time I made these cupcakes for friends was when one of my friends got engaged and threw an engagement party. I brought strawberry cupcakes and blueberry lemon cupcakes. Her family raved about the cupcakes especially the blueberry lemon cupcakes. A couple weeks later, another friend asked if I could make blueberry lemon cupcakes for her husband’s birthday. Again, I made these and they were a hit with our friends. A couple months ago, one of my friends had a baby shower and asked me if I could make blueberry lemon cupcakes. I made two dozen and her family absolutely loved them. The best part about these cupcakes is the balance of the sweetness from the blueberries and tartness from the lemon. The cupcakes are requested so much from family and friends that they’re my official celebration dessert. With the start of college football season, I had to make these cupcakes again to cheer on the football team of the college I attended. The colors of these cupcakes are also the colors of the football team I’m cheering on.
Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:
(Makes 12 cupcakes)
Cupcakes:
· 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for coating blueberries
· 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
· ½ teaspoon kosher salt
· ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
· 1 cup granulated sugar
· 2 large eggs, room temperature
· ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
· ½ lemon, zested
· ½ cup whole milk, room temperature
· ½ cup fresh blueberries, divided
Frosting:
· ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
· 4 ounces (½ stick) cream cheese
· ½ lemon, zested
· 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
· ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
· 4-5 cups confectioners’ sugar
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
2) In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3) In a large bowl, mix the butter and sugar until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Add vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Mix until combined. Add half of the flour mixture, and half of the milk. Combine. Add the remaining flour mixture and milk. Combine until batter is smooth. Gently fold in half of the blueberries.
4) In a small bowl, coat the other half of the blueberries in flour.
5) Distribute the batter evenly into the muffin tin. Top each of the 12-cup muffin tin with the blueberries coated in flour.
6) Bake the cupcakes in the center rack of the oven for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let completely cool before frosting.
7) To make the frosting, combine the butter and cream cheese in a bowl. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt. Mix well. Add the confectioners’ sugar one cup at the time and mix until desired consistency is achieved. You may not need to use all five cups of confectioners' sugar.
8) To decorate the cupcakes, use a large star tip and pastry bag. Make large swirls on top of the cupcakes. Top off each cupcake with a fresh blueberry.
Takeaways: I loved these cupcakes exactly as they were. I am working on trying to reduce the sugar in my cupcakes. Once I develop a tasty batch of cupcakes using less sugar, I will share the recipe. For now, enjoy the cupcakes as they are because they are A-MAIZE-ING!