Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes

Peanut butter and jelly, chips and dip, Cheech and Chong...some things just go together. In my opinion, lemons and blueberries are no exception. These cupcakes celebrate that marriage. I got this recipe off Pinterest and need to give a thumbs up to Annie's Eats for such a great recipe.  Be sure to check out the rest of her blog, there are so amazing eats!

The lemon is subtle, but not lost and the blueberries burst with flavor, but don't overwhelm. Top them with a sweet, lemony, fantastically creamy frosting, and you have the perfect after meal dessert. Of course you can enjoy them any time of the day, but I felt that they have just the right amount of sweetness for an after dinner treat. However, I might have had one for breakfast. What, its basically a fancy muffin with a sugary kick to start your day :)

Adapted from Annie's Eats

Cupcakes

• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• 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

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. 
2. In a medium bowl, combine the ¾ cup all-purpose flour, the cake flour, baking powder and salt; whisk together and set aside. 
3. With a 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. 
4. 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.
5. 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. 
6. 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.

 
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

1. 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. 
2. 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. 
3. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired. (I filled a gallon size ziplock bag and cut off the tip)

Tips and Tricks

• I thought some of the blueberries sank to the bottom of the cupcakes. Next time I would place a couple in the empty liners, fill about 1/3 full and place another one or two, then fill the rest of liner and place one or two more. This might help them be disbursed a bit more evenly.
• If you have a problem with your icing being to runny, add a bit more powder sugar or refrigerate for a half hour. 
• If you don't have cake flour, no worries!  Place 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in a one cup measure. Fill the rest with all-purpose flour. One cup equals one cup cake flour. Since this recipe only calls for 3/4, make as directed and measure out 3/4 once mixed thoroughly.