A Taste of Spring

Spring is here. And it makes me think of yummy treats. Especially lemons and berries. Yum! These fruits, just make me think of spring. They're light and fresh. It got me thinking, there must be tons of yummy recipes out there. With lemons and blueberries. That's how I found this recipe!

Can we say yum? I'm not going to lie. When I fond this recipe, I almost cried tears of joy! How had I never put 3 of my favorite things together before? You've got lemons, blueberries, and cupcakes!

OK, so I wanted to make these. For my parents. They were here visiting before Easter. I read the recipe over. A few times. OK, like 20 times! It's no secret, I'm not a great cook. Heck, I've never baked anything, that didn't come out of a box. :) My first thought was, I could buy a lemon cake mix, and mix in some blueberries. Then make this icing....

But I said heck with it! And I asked my mom to help me out. In no time, we had 2 batches made. And they are amazing!! You must try this recipe. I promise you, you won't regret it. Oh, and I'm posting the recipe. But remember, it's not mine, it's Krissy's!



Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
Yield: about 16 cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
¾ cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour, divided
¾ cup cake flour
1½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. lemon juice
½ cup plus 2 tbsp. milk, at room temperature
1 cup fresh blueberries

For the frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
Zest of 1 large lemon
Additional fresh blueberries, for garnish

What you'll do:

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the ¾ cup all-purpose flour, the cake flour, baking powder and salt; whisk together and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, sugar and lemon zest. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and lemon juice. With the mixer on low speed, mix in half of the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Blend in the milk. Mix in the remaining dry ingredients, beating just until incorporated.

In a small bowl, toss the blueberries with the remaining 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Using a spatula gently fold the berries into the cake batter. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared liners, filling each about ¾ full. Bake 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pans 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in the lemon juice and lemon zest. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until totally incorporated, increase the speed and then beat until smooth. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired. Garnish with fresh blueberries.

Yum! Our entire family loved them! They were perfect after dinner. Not too heavy. But a yummy sweet. I'll definitely be trying these again. And soon! Now I can't wait for our blueberries to grow. Imagine how good these cupcakes will taste, with fresh berries? Love I tell you!! ☼