Soft vanilla cupcakes made from scratch and piped high with a tangy blackberry buttercream.
Let’s talk about grocery shopping. There are so many strategies out there on the best ways to or not to do it, from running to the grocery store to pick up a few things as you need them to planning out two weeks worth of meals making a master list and trip. I’ve been on both ends of the spectrum and neither is particularly enjoyable. What is your current strategy? Do you plan it or wing it? And how often do you shop?
I’ve been on both ends of the spectrum, but recently I’ve been scanning the weekly flyer for a couple local grocery stores to find out what is on sale and then loosely planning a weeks worth of meals around that. I’ll usually just hit one grocery store for the week, but it varies which one depending on which sales I like best. Being a bit more organized has helped us eat healthier and spend less money.
Deciding when to shop has been the challenge recently. It seems the best times for me to go are Fridays after work or Saturday mornings. Of course that’s when everyone else shops and the checkout lines are a mile long. And taking a baby along slows down things even more, mostly because everyone notices his charming smile and stop to to talk 🙂 At least he is a good baby. What are your awesome grocery shopping tips and tricks?
Recently, these Blackberry Crumb Bars have been a huge hit and have been going crazy on Facebook. Before blackberry season ends, I wanted to create another recipe with them. They’re like candy this time of year. These cupcakes are a simple vanilla recipe and are topped with the best frosting of the summer. Tart fruits like blackberries go so well in sugary buttercreams.
Vanilla Cupcakes with Blackberry Frosting
Ingredients
Cupcake Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup milk room temperature
Blackberry Sauce Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh blackberries
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Blackberry Buttercream Ingredients
- 1 cup butter room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2-4 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- Additional blackberries for garnish if desired
Instructions
Cupcake Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 cupcake pans with 24 cupcake liners. In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on high for 2-3 minutes or until light in color and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, add the vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Alternate adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients with the milk in three parts, stirring just until combined and scraping down the sides as necessary.
- Spoon the batter into the lined cupcake pan, dividing between all 24. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool for 5 minutes in the pan before removing them to a wire rack. Cool completely.
Blackberry Sauce Instructions
- Combine the blackberries, lemon juice, and water in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the blackberries soften and release their juices. Use a wooden spoon to crush the blackberries and continue to cook over medium heat until the mixture coats the back of the spoon.
- Remove from the heat and pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds. Press the mixture against the strainer with the wooden spoon. You should have approximately ¼ cup of sauce. Cool completely and refrigerate until ready to use.
Blackberry Buttercream Instructions
- Beat the softened butter in a stand mixer for 2-3 minutes until light in color and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and COLD blackberry sauce. Beat until smooth.
- Slowly add 2 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk while beating constantly. Add additional cream or milk ONLY as needed to achieve a spreadable consistency. Beat the frosting on high for 3-4 minutes, until very fluffy.
- Pipe the frosting onto cooled cupcakes and garnish with blackberries if desired.
Nutrition
Here are some other cupcake recipes to try this summer:
Watermelon Cupcakes from the First Year
Blueberry Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting from Cooking Classy
Lemon Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream from Baker by Nature
White Cupcakes with Pomegranate Buttercream
Medha @ Whisk & Shout says
What a delicious flavor combination! I love baking with blackberries and the vanilla looks so yummy to combat their tartness 🙂
Jennifer says
If you’re going to have a website called chocolate with grace why are you posting recipes with blackberries in them or vanilla cupcake recipes?
Mallory says
Oh, I don’t know. It’s just a collection of recipes I enjoy 🙂
Sarah says
Hi do you have uk measurements for these?
Thank you ?