Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes

There are few things that speak to a person in flavors like summer as lemon and blueberry. When you combine those two flavors, for some reason I just can't think of anything but summertime. Picnics and hot afternoons. Bright and sweet and absolutely

The first time I made these, they weren't quite sweet enough and tasted more like muffins with delicious frosting on top. So I just had to remake them until they came out right - not that my roommates complained about eating more blueberry sweets, being the blueberry fanatics they were.

And then I did it. I made blueberry cupcakes that were sweet, fluffy, and just the right amount of tartness from the blueberries. I topped them with a delicious, silky, creamy lemon swiss buttercream. They were perfect for reminding me of summertime and all the good things about it.

Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
Serving Size: 24 cupcakes

Cake Ingredients:

3 cups Flour
2 Tablespoons Flour
2 cups Sugar
3 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 cup Butter, melted
2 large Eggs, room temp
1 cup Buttermilk
1 cup Milk
1 Tablespoon grated lemon rind
1 1/2 cup Blueberries (if using frozen, thaw them and drain the excess juice)

Frosting Ingredients:

6 large Egg Whites
1 1/2 cup Sugar
2 cups Powdered Sugar
3/4 cup Shortening, room temp
2 cups Butter, room temp
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup grated lemon rind

Blueberry Syrup:

2 cups Blueberry
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Water

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pan.

2. Combine butter and eggs into the mixing bowl. Mix together until well combined.

3. Mix in buttermilk, milk, and lemon rind into the liquid mix.

4. Add in flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Mix until just combined.

5. Toss blueberries in the 2 Tablespoons of Flour. Fold into batter gently.

6. Scoop into cupcake liners 2/3 full and baked for 25 minutes.

7. Cool in pan 5 minutes until removing to cool completely.

8. For the frosting, over a double broiler, in a large metal bowl whisk together the sugar and egg whites constantly stirring until the sugar has dissolved completely and is no longer gritty to the touch.

9. Power this mix into a cool metal bowl and begin beating on high speed until thick, glossy and with stiff peaks.

10. Once stiff peaks are made, turn mixer onto low speed. Dump in all of the powdered sugar and begin beating until well combined.

11. Mix in both butter and shortening and beat until well combined and smooth.

12. Add in lemon juice and lemon rind, mixing until well combined.

13. Begin making your blueberry syrup by putting your blueberries, sugar and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-low heat.

14. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes while stirring occasionally while smashing a few of the blueberries but not all.

15. Pour into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 20 minutes.

16. Take one of your blueberries, frost with the lemon swiss buttercream and drizzle with some of your chilled blueberry syrup.

ENJOY!

Swiss Buttercream

I don't know about you but I had never heard of swiss buttercream before I started to get serious about cupcakes and extended myself to improve my recipes. But then I discovered and there was no way I was ever going back. Now I use swiss buttercream, in various flavors, on several of my cupcakes. I just can't resist.

Imagine if creamy, delicious butter cream had a love child with airy, divine meringue. That is what swiss buttercream is. It's absolutely amazing. Sweet, creamy, and decadent. You'll never have enough.

Ingredients:

6 large Egg Whites

1 1/2 cup Sugar

2 cups Powdered Sugar

3/4 cup Shortening, room temp

2 cups Butter, room temp

1 Tablespoon Vanilla

Instructions:

1. Over a double broiler, in a large metal bowl whisk together the sugar and egg whites constantly stirring until the sugar has dissolved completely and is no longer gritty to the touch.

2. Power this mix into a cool metal bowl and begin beating on high speed until thick, glossy and with stiff peaks.

3. Once stiff peaks are made, turn mixer onto low speed. Dump in all of the powdered sugar and begin beating until well combined.

4. Mix in both butter and shortening and beat until well combined and smooth.

5. Add in vanilla, mixing until well combined.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

The perfect red velvet cake is hard to find and make in the kitchen. It's a perfect combination of sweet vanilla, bitter chocolate and tangy buttermilk. It's taken me forever to find a recipe of red velvet that gave me what I wanted and wasn't too much chocolate, or too much vanilla, or too dry, or a myriad of other things that can go wrong with a bad red velvet.

I have to say, this is probably one of my favorite cakes and I am not usually a huge red velvet fan. My friend, who absolutely would die eating red velvet if she could, ate six of them and I couldn't blame her. It was moist, with the right amount of sweetness and tanginess, and topped with the creamiest, most delicious cream cheese frosting. I cannot recommend this strongly enough for anyone who absolutely needs a decadent, delicious red velvet in their life.

Red Velvet Cupcake Recipe
Servings: 26 cupcakes

Cake Ingredients:

2 1/2 cup Flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Baking Soda
3 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder
1/2 cup Butter, room temp
1 1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Sour Cream
3/4 cup Oil
3 large Eggs, room temp
2 teaspoons Vanilla
1/2 cup Buttermilk
2 Tablespoon Red Food Coloring
2 teaspoon White Vinegar

Frosting Ingredients:

8 cups Powdered Sugar
1/2 cup Butter, room temp
16 ounces of Cream Cheese
1 Tablespoon Vanilla

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Cream together butter and sugar at high speed until fluffy. Add in sour cream and mix for another minute before adding in the oil and mixing for another minute.

3. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating the mixture well between each egg.

4. Add in buttermilk and vanilla, thoroughly mixing.

5. Mix in cocoa powder and red food coloring until well mixed.

6. Add in flour, salt, baking soda and vinegar in that order. Mix until just combined.

7. Scoop into cupcake liners, 3/4 the way full and bake for 23 minutes. Cool in pans for at least 5 minutes before removing to cool completely.

8. While cupcakes are baking, beat together cream cheese and butter for the frosting until creamy and fluffy.

9. Beat in vanilla and slowly start beating in powdered sugar one cup at a time until desired consistency.

10. ENJOY!!