A Taste of the Season: Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes

 
I know I've said before that one of my favorite things about summer is the abundance of fresh fruit. In fact, I feel unmotivated to bake during the summer both because of the heat and also because it's kind of unnecessary when I have so many naturally sweet treats sitting in my kitchen. However, I had no choice but to bake for our book club meeting. I fear there would be an uprising if they were to show up and find I'd neglected to make something yummy. After sending them waddling out the door last month, stuffed to the brim with Peanut Butter Oreo Cupcakes, I figured I should give them a bit of a break this time around. Plus I'd just stocked up on fresh blueberries and always love the combination of lemon and blueberries. 

The cupcakes I settled on are perfect for the season. Buttery cake studded with blueberries and lots of lemon flavor from fresh lemon zest and juice. The lemon cream cheese frosting is tangy and refreshing. Honestly, you can't go wrong with this combination and this recipe is a simple way to make those flavors shine.

My only complaint is that some of my cupcakes were a little puny. It's been so long since I last made these that I can't recall if that happened before. Next time I might make the same amount of batter but make just 10 cupcakes. Several of mine only hit the top of the paper liners once they'd domed.

I've had this recipe in my baking arsenal for years and somewhere along the line lost the source. If you recognize it please let me know as I feel incredibly guilty not having anyone to cite.

Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes

Recipe from ??? (Please let me know if you recognize this recipe)

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 egg
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tsp grated lemon zest
3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon oil or lemon extract
2/3 cup fresh blueberries

1) Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 12 cupcake wells with paper liners. If you would like bigger cupcakes try 9-10 liners instead.
2) In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
3) In a large bowl, beat sugar, butter, and egg until smooth. Add yogurt, lemon zest and juice, and lemon oil/extract, beating until smooth. Add flour mixture, beating just until smooth. Gently fold blueberries into the batter.
4) Scoop batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely on rack.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
Pinch of salt
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tsp grated lemon zest
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1) In a bowl using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat together cream cheese, butter, and salt until creamy.  

2) With mixer on low speed, beat in two cups of powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. Increase speed to medium-high, beating until light and fluffy. 

3) Add lemon zest and juice, beating until mixed. Add extra powdered sugar if necessary. Refrigerate 30 to 60 minutes before spreading/piping onto cupcakes.

Peanut Butter Oreo Cupcakes

I don't think I really need to do much to sell these cupcakes now that you've read the title of the post. I mean, how can you resist a chocolate cupcake lined at the bottom with an Oreo cookie, stuffed with a mini Reese's cup, and topped with peanut butter Oreo frosting? Need I say more?

I wish this were my brainchild but, alas, I cannot claim credit for this display of just how crazily indulgent and over-the-top one cupcake can be. The credit belongs to Melanie at The Sweet Life. I humbly bow at her feet.

 My motivation for making these cupcakes was to reward the gals in my book club with something extra sweet. This month's book club read was a little... dark. Surprise cannibalism, anyone? Not at all what I expected when I started to read Jamrach's Menagerie so I'm sure the gory, descriptive passages of dismembering and chowing down on former friends came as a surprise to everyone else as well. After reading our way through that gruesome of a story I figured we deserve some sort of recompense. I'm sure you too can come up with a convincing excuse in your life to make a batch of these for yourself. You certainly won't regret it, but then you don't need me to tell you that. The title says it all.

Peanut Butter Oreo Cupcakes
Recipe adapted from The Sweet Life

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 ounce bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup buttermilk
20 Oreos (or any chocolate sandwich cookies)
20 mini peanut butter cups, unwrapped

1) Preheat oven to 350.

2) Line cupcake pans with 20 paper liners. Place one Oreo in the bottom of each liner.

3) Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl.  Stir in the chopped chocolate.

4) In the bowl of stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar on high until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.  Beat in the vanilla.  With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the buttermilk and allow to incorporate for 30 seconds.

5) Pour in the flour mixture and beat on medium until fully incorporated, about 1 minute.  Divide the batter evenly among the paper liners, filling each about 2/3 full.

6) Bake for 8 minutes, then remove from oven and press a peanut butter cup into the center of each cupcake.  Bake for 10 more minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the cake near the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then remove cupcakes from the muffin tin to cool completely on a wire rack.  

Peanut Butter Oreo Frosting

  

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

1 tablespoon vegetable shortening

1/4 cup peanut butter

2-3 cups confectioner's sugar

2 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons Oreo cookie crumbs

1) Separate approximately 4 Oreo cookies and discard the cream filling. In a food processor or plastic bag, crush the cookies into fine crumbs.

2) In a large bowl, beat butter and shortening on high until fully combined. Beat in peanut butter.

3) Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add 2 cups of the confectioner's sugar and 2 tablespoons milk. Start the mixer on low, then eventually crank it up to high and beat for 2 minutes. 

4) Add more confectioner's sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.

5) Add the cookie crumbs and beat on high for 2 minutes.

6) Pipe onto cooled cupcakes and store in a sealed container at room temperature.

Guest Post at love.bug. -- Salted Caramel Coconut Macaroon Cupcakes

Today you can find me over at love.bug. with another extravagant cupcake creation: Salted caramel coconut macaroon cupcakes. Amy and I have become photography buddies and now that I've discovered her beautiful blog I'm sure we'll be great blogging buds too. She's like me in that she tries to eat healthily most of the time but believes there's room for a little indulgence now and again. Usually in the form of lots of sugar and butter!

I know, I know, I've been neglecting my own blog but jump at the chance to do a post for someone else's blog. Sometimes my logic defies me. I promise to be back soon with a proper post about everything I've been up to. I don't suppose claiming I was abducted by aliens is enough of an excuse. Instead I'll tell you I am in the CIA and was sent away for a super secret mission researching a recent spate of alien abductions. Yeah, that's more plausible.

52 Week Photo Project [Week 13]

Last week's Paint the Moon theme was "Look out for curves."

Sorry I'm falling behind so much on this project. I took this photo during the appropriate week and then waited almost a week and a half before processing it. I started out motivated and inspired by the themes and now find myself struggling to come up with anything good. I'll keep plugging away but it's become quite a chore for me.

Cupcake Baby Jacket

I can't believe I did this to myself again! After all of the hard work and hours I put into making my first Baby-in-the-Hood Jacket from Anna Maria Horner's Handmade Beginnings I wasn't eager to do it again. Which might explain why it took me over a year to get around to making another one. Guess I managed to forget the trauma in the ensuing months. I've also been a little burned out on sewing so it wasn't until I uncovered my sewing machine to make a bag for my aunt (no pictures, alas, so no post about it) that I got the motivation to tackle another baby jacket. Because, let's face it, babies are fun to sew for. You can get away with using all sorts of cute fabrics an adult would never wear.

I'm happy to report that the pattern did go more smoothly the second time around. In fact, I was able to whip this up in one weekend. Granted, I didn't get much else done that weekend so I'm sure there were many hours of sewing involved. Still, the jacket turned out just as I'd envisioned it, which is always the mark of a successful sewing project for me.


My best tip is to ignore what the instructions say and always start with the lining pieces first. You are basically making two identical jackets here so why not start with the one that will be less visible? It gives you practice before tackling the outer portion of the jacket. Plus there are some mistakes you can let slide if they're going to be tucked away inside the jacket, which isn't the case for the outside if you're a perfectionist. I remember having to undo a lot of stitching the first time around and didn't have to do that much this time, so I think that tip helped a lot.


The adorable cupcake fabric came from Jo-Ann Fabrics, bought some time last year when I was mindlessly purchasing anything with a cupcake theme. I had a few cupcake fabrics in my stash to choose from but this one went so well with the heart fabric I used on the accents, also from Jo-Ann. I have no idea why I bought so much of that but I was glad to have it in my stash for this project. The striped lining fabric was given to me by my mother when she was clearing out her sewing supplies now that she no longer sews. I have a feeling that she used some of it in the past to make an outfit for one of us kids. Or perhaps a trio of coordinating outfits. Yes, she sometimes did that to my brothers and me. Before you get your hopes up, any pictorial evidence of this will remain buried in the family archives, never to see the light of day. Instead I'll leave you with one last photo of the cupcake jacket that's almost good enough to eat.

52 Week Photo Project [Weeks 10-12]

I've been lax in posting lately. My apologies! Between my dad's visit last week and the lovely warm weather we've been having I've been spending less time on my computer and more time out and about. I'm three weeks behind in posting my photographs, which is just as well since I only got around to taking last week's photo today. Oops!

Week 10 Theme: Monochrome

Week 11 Theme: Teeny Tiny

We just so happen to call Loofy "Teeny Tiny" on account of her small size. I mean, all of our cats are unnaturally thin but she takes the cake at only seven pounds. We do feed her, I swear!

Week 12 Theme: Vintage

I know I've already taken pictures of the Ford Galaxie 500 from every imaginable angle, so instead I tried something a little different with the processing. Hope you like it.

By the way, word verification for comments is back on after another slew of spam comments. Not sure that'll cure the problem but I'll try whatever I can to keep that crap off of my blog.

52 Week Photo Project [Week 9]

Now I remember why I was so glad to finish my 365 project. The pressure of getting a good shot for the theme can really get you down.

Last week's Paint the Moon theme was "framed." I had a few good ideas but they all required lots of natural light. Of course, the only time I'm home when there's light coming through the windows is on the weekend, so I had to wait until then. I was pretty busy so by the time I settled down to try out my ideas it was already late Sunday afternoon, the last day to post my photo. Turns out all of my ideas were horrible failures so I found myself rushing around in the rapidly dying light trying to come up with another idea. Any idea would do, really. So this is what I came up with at the last minute. I don't think poor little Punky will ever forgive me for this indignity.

And before you go thinking she's an unnaturally patient and willing model, I will confess that there was a little Photoshop magic involved. I actually took the picture holding the glasses up a few inches in front of her face, then put the glasses down and took a few pictures so I could edit my hand out. I know from the time I tried to make her wear a chicken hat that she is not at all cooperative about wearing a costume. I do still feel a little guilty about this: