blueberry cream cheese cupcakes.

blueberry cream cheese cupcakes.

• 5.15.2014

This is weird... writing another "first" post to another blog. I've started an embarrassingly large number of the Yes! I'm actually going to keep this one up! variety. They've all been great ideas. Really. I promise.

Moving on. To bigger and better things, right?

I want to use this space as a resource for myself and for others. My professors at Indiana Wesleyan were brilliant and I'm sad to leave the campus behind. I truly wish I had taken better notes of the stories and ideas they shared. My notebooks were a wreck... unorganized and filled with doodles. By the end of my senior year, I stopped carrying one. It was easier to simply listen. I'm headed back to school in a few months to earn a culinary degree (yahoo!), and this time I want to keep better record of what I'm learning... and paying for.

So. Hi, there. You're looking at my new notebook.

You've heard of Pinterest by now. A gem that's remained tucked away within the expanse of the Internet is foodgawker.com. It's like Pinterest on crack. There's no "oops, that doesn't belong in that category at all." It's 100% cheesy foods, or bacon, or cupcakes. Whatever your little heart desires, it provides. I love it. Probably a little too much.

That's how I found this recipe. It's not very often that I find a good excuse for cream cheese frosting, but I'm learning to like blueberries and decided this was the perfect way to dress them up. For the original recipe source, go here.


These dainty cakes ended up with swirls of blue in the batter, no doubt because I used frozen berries instead of fresh. They were smaller, which is why I opted for frozen. In hindsight, I'd probably stick with the farmer's market variety. They taste better... and won't stain the batter nearly as much. The cupcake didn't seem sweet enough, but the frozen berries might be partially responsible.

Lesson learned.

Although I'm not at all upset that this is a try-again recipe. These cupcakes are nonetheless delicious and I won't mind experimenting with sweetness. For now, I think I'll make muffins with the leftover berries. I always feel a little less guilty if I stuff five muffins in my cheeks instead of five cupcakes. They're healthier, right? Mmhmm. Yesssss... they areeee.

I would have taken more pictures, but our home is a madhouse right now as the family prepares for folks to come and go in a few days. It was all I could do to get one good one! Also, my little dog is sadly winding down, so we've been trying to diligently tend to her. She's a 14-year-old Maltese with a good dose of health problems and a collapsed trachea to top it all. Most days, she sprints around like a puppy and cares about nothing more than food, but this past week has been a struggle for the little one. Hopefully the vet's advice takes care of things for now.

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Click for printable recipe.

Blueberry Cupcakes

¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
⅓ cup sour cream (or plain, non-fat yogurt)
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1¾ cups cake flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
⅔ cup milk
1½ cups fresh blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line a cupcake pan with baking cups.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the sour cream, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Gradually add in the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix in the milk, stirring until batter is uniform and smooth. Stir in the blueberries.

3. Fill baking cups about 2/3 full (or a little less) and bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven, transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack, and allow to cool to room temperature before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ teaspoon salt
3 cups powdered sugar

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the salt and vanilla. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar. If frosting is too soft, add more powdered sugar until it reaches a spreadable consistency. Likewise, if the frosting is too stiff, add more milk until it reaches a spreadable consistency.

2. Before serving, pipe or spread frosting on top of cooled cupcakes and decorate with a few fresh blueberries, if desired. If cupcakes will sit out more than a day, keep refrigerated in an airtight to help preserve the cupcakes. Serve at room temperature. Serves 18.

Source: PastryAffair.com