Blackberry Vanilla Cupcakes

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.

Blackberry Vanilla Cupcakes

Soft vanilla cupcakes made from scratch and piped high with a tangy blackberry buttercream.

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Prep Time: 40 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 1 hr

Cuisine: American

Servings: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients 

For the cupcakes

• ▢ 1 cup butter softened
• ▢ 2 cups granulated sugar
• ▢ 4 eggs room temperature
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ▢ 2 and 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ 1 cup milk room temperature

For the Buttercream

• ▢ 1 cup fresh blackberries
• ▢ 1 tablespoon water
• ▢ 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ▢ 1 cup 2 sticks butter, softened
• ▢ 4 cups powdered sugar
• ▢ 2-4 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ▢ pinch of salt
• ▢ Additional blackberries for garnish if desired

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 2 cupcakes pans with 24 cupcake papers. In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on high for 2-3 minutes or until light colored and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat in the vanilla.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Alternately add 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 cupcakes pan, dividing between all 24. Bake for 20-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
• To make the buttercream, place the blackberries, lemon juice and water in a small saucepan. Heat on medium heat stirring occasionally until the blackberries soften and release their juice. Crush the blackberries and continue to cook the mixture on the stove to reduce it. When the mixture coats the back of the spoon, remove from the heat and strain the mixture in a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds and fruit. You should have roughly 1/4 cup of liquid. Let cool completely
• Beat the softened butter in a stand mixer for 2-3 minutes until light in color and fluffy. Beat in the powdered sugar, vanilla, blackberry reduction and enough of the heavy cream or milk to make a spreadable consistency. Beat the frosting on high for 3-4 minutes or until very fluffy. Pipe the frosting onto cooled cupcakes and garnish with a blackberry if desired.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupcake

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