Blackberry season is here, pick up some ripe, sweet berries and whip us these luscious blackberry vanilla cupcakes with creamy, rich blackberry buttercream icing! These will be a family favorite and they are easy to make.
Ingredients:
Cupcakes: Makes 15 – 16
- 2 1/2 cups of cake flour
- 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder
- 1/4 tsp of salt
- 1 stick of butter, softened
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 vanilla bean
- 2 egg whites, room temperature
- 2 whole eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup of whole milk or buttermilk which will add a little tang
- 2 tsp of vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup of blackberries, mashed with a fork
Buttercream Frosting:
- 1/2 cup of butter, softened
- 3/4 cup of blackberries
- 2 tsp of vanilla
- dash of salt
- 5 cups of powdered sugar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°
Line a cupcake pan with paper liners. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter til fluffy on high speed, then add in the sugar and the vanilla bean, beat on medium speed for a few minutes.
Add egg whites and then the whole eggs, one at a time, beat until combined. Next add in the milk and the vanilla extract, then add in the flour mixture, slowly, beat until well incorporated.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the blackberries.
Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, about 3/4 full and bake for 20 – 22 minutes. Test with a skewer or toothpick, it should come out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.
For the buttercream frosting: Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter, blackberries, vanilla and salt til well combined, then slowly add in the powdered sugar and beat until you have a thick, yet still creamy consistency.
When the cupcakes are totally cooled, frost them generously with the luscious icing, call in the kids, you will have more icing than you need!
Note to cooks: You may use 4 egg whites instead of two whites and two whole eggs, they will make for a lighter cupcake.
To extract the beans from the vanilla pod, just slit the bean open with a small sharp knife and scrape out the beans.
