One of my oldest and bestest friends, Soul Sista, is going to be a new auntie very soon. A baby shower was held for her sister-in-law yesterday afternoon and regretfully I couldn’t attend (I saw pictures of the mounds of amazing food afterwards and was even sorrier I missed out). Her sister-in-law asked if I’d bake something for the occasion. Being incredibly flattered (flattery gets you almost everywhere with me!) and honoured that I’d still be a small part of this wonderful event, I agreed. I wracked my brain for a while about what to make. I definitely wanted to make a cupcake cause they’re adorable and I wanted them to feature a flavour profile that’s light and summery.
I saw Pastry Affair’s stunningly impressive Blueberry Cream Cheese Cupcakes and knew I found the perfect recipe.
My frosting skills leave MUCH to be desired!
Lemon blueberry cream cheese cupcakes (adapted from Pastry Affair)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup vegetable oil
zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
2/3 cup milk
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries (the original recipe called for fresh but I haven’t had great experiences baking with them)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with cups.
In a medium bowl, mix together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ground ginger.
In another large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat well. Add in the sour cream, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Beat together.
Add in the dry mixture, alternating with the milk (dry, milk, dry, milk, dry).
At this point, I filled each of the baking cups 1/3 full of batter, sprinkled on a layer of the frozen blueberries, then added more batter on top to fill each baking cup 2/3 full.
Bake for about 17 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the centre should come out clean. Don’t over-bake them – the tops of my cupcakes were barely coloured. You don’t want these delicate cakes to dry out. Cool the cupcakes on a baking rack and wait until they’re room temperature until you frost them.
For Pastry Affairs’ divine cream cheese frosting, see here.
The base of the frosting – butter and cream cheese.
Add lots of powdered sugar.
I made sure to whip it for a long time to get rid of any lumps from the powdered sugar. Nothing’s more unappealing than seeing chunks of solid in what’s supposed to be silken.
I bought all this fancy icing equipment so that I could pretty up my desserts. That obviously didn’t happen.
I couldn’t help but laugh at my ugly ass attempt to frost these things. How do people make it look so effortless and beautiful?
What an amazing cupcake. The cake flour makes it super light and fluffy while the sour cream adds a moisture and depth of flavour. The lemon is subtle and highlighted by the ground ginger. The frozen wild blueberries I use never fail me. The cream cheese frosting brings it all together with it’s sweet, tangy taste and melt in the mouth silkiness.
That is one perfect, summery, celebratory bite.
I hope the momma-to-be and all her guests enjoyed.
Great step by step layout. Beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks! I’m glad you commented here so that I could discover your blog. I knew I’d like it ss soon as I saw that glorious Boston cream cupcake!
hey! These look delicious! I know what you mean about the frosting though. . people tell me it just takes time. . and having the right tip! It’s all about the tip, texture of the frosting & technique apparently. . maybe take a frosting class? I am seriously considering it. . Dammit, I want to make pretty rose buds on my cupcakes too. 🙂
I love those rosebuds, especially when an entire cake is covered with them. Hmm…a cake/frosting class isn’t a bad idea! I could definitely use the help 🙂
Ooohhh I got a recipe from my future Aunt in Law for pretty rose pedal covered cake. I’ll have to try the recipe and let you know how it goes. Your cupcake looks so good Nancy! I really am horrible at docmenting (photos) the cooking process. I get so absorbed in cooking that I forget. Thanks for the visual step by step instructions.
Thanks, Sarah! I always have to force myself to stop what I’m doing and take the pic. What I hate is how I don’t have time to bake until the evening, when the light is the worst. One of my biggest blogging goals is to take better photos.
What an adorable cupcake stand–where’s it from? Also, those look like perfect baby shower cupcakes–like, baby shower in a nutshell. And I think your frosting job looked LOVELY! Better than a lot of my frosting jobs!
Thanks for trying to comfort me about the frosting job 😉 My husband bought the cupcake stand at a knick knack shop. I think it’s pretty adorable too. I’d love to collect a bunch of them. We can probably find them online for cheap!
I love the lemon twist! Very clever and it sounds just lovely. The photographs are also gorgeous–I love the robin eggs blue of that table.
Thanks so much, Kristin! This is a wonderful recipe. I wish my cupcakes were as gorgeous as yours!
Beautiful job with the cupcakes – they look fab! And great photos, too … it’s wonderful seeing how your photography keeps improving with each blog post. Keep it up!
Aww, thanks Debra! It’s nice to hear that you think my photography is getting better. There’s still a LOT for me to learn!
You’re doing great – can’t wait to see more of your food photos!
Absolutely decadent! I repinned this recipe for my baking friends to check out.
I was super happy with how they turned out – this is a seriously good cupcake. Thanks for stopping by!
Sorry it took me so long to tell you what a hit your cupcakes were at the shower! Mark must have devoured 3 before we home with a bunch more! They were definitely one of the most moist cupcakes I’ve ever eaten….you are welcome to bake me more anytime you wish! 😉
Awww,thanks babe! So glad you guys enjoyed them. I’m seriously sad I missed the shower.
So glad to have found your blog! These cupcakes look so yummy! My husband loves blueberries!
Thanks, Brandi! I’m so glad you commented because your blog looks awesome. I want to eat everything featured on the home page alone! I also like that you focus on personal fitness too – I need it after all this baking and gorging!
Oh thank you so much for the compliment!! Haha…I agree, me too! I’m obsessed with baking and taste testing so I NEED the fitness…good thing I enjoy it! I look forward to your future posts and touring your site! It looks wonderful 🙂