Lemon and Blueberry Cupcakes

Yes, I'm back to writing more recipes down. I don't want to turn this into a thing but here we are. I posted them to Facebook and they seemingly got a great response from my friends. Even though my baking style is a bit more homely than show-baking, I still think that these were a great success. So, let's go through how I made them...

(should make 12 cupcakes)

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1: Prepping the Blueberries

Ingredients:

• 1x Pack of Blueberries
• 1x Shot of Lemon Juice
• 1x Shot of Caster Sugar

How To:

1. Put your lemon juice and caster sugar into a small bowl and mix together
2. Soak your blueberries in the mixture (don't worry about the blueberries being covered, they just need the essence)
3. Put the blueberries in the lemon mixture into the fridge until required for the cupcakes

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2: Making the Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 110g Butter
• 110g Brown Sugar
• 110g Self-Raising Flour
• 2x Eggs
• 2x Lemons
• Your Soaked Blueberries from the Fridge

(Vegan Note: if you don't want to use eggs, I would recommend using 1/4 cup of applesauce per egg you are replacing as it doesn't add much flavour but it does have the same consistency. All butter and lactose elements can be replaced for lactose-free options or vegan alternatives with the same amount used).

How To:

1. Preheat your oven to 180C
2. Fill a cupcake tray with 12 cases
3. Whisk your butter on its own for 3 minutes until white
4. Add your sugar and whisk until combined
5. Beat the eggs and add to the mixture + whisk together
6. Zest both of the lemons and add the zest to the mixture + whisk together
7. Add the flour and whisk until completely combined
8. Grab a tablespoon and fill each cupcake case with 1-1.5 spoons of mixture
9. Grab a blueberry from your lemon mixture and press lightly into your filled cupcake case, repeat until each case has a blueberry in it
10. Put in the oven for 12-15 minutes
11. When done, let them cool on the side whilst you start on the buttercream

Tip: Wait around 1/2 hour to 45 minutes before icing your cupcakes from when you have taken them out of the oven

(I made some salad for lunch at this point. I was hungry whilst letting the cupcakes cool)

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3: Buttercream

Ingredients:

• 300g White Caster Sugar
• 150g Butter
• 3x Tbsp Cornflour
• 1x Tbsp Vanilla Essence
• 1x Tbsp Milk
• 1/4 x Tsp Food colouring gel (any colour)
• 100g Chopped Almonds

(Note: one of the reasons I like chopped almonds is that it stops the cake getting too sugary. With all the buttercream and the sugar in the cake + the fruit within, the last thing you want is sprinkles made from sugar. I just feel like it would taste better with something a little more savoury).

How To:

1. Whisk your butter for 5 minutes until it is completely white
2. Combine the caster sugar and cornflour in a food processor and blend until it looks like powder
3. Put the sugar and cornflour mixture into the butter
4. Add the vanilla and milk
5. Whisk the mixture together for another 5 minutes
6. Grab your piping bag
7. Snip off around 3mm or so from the end of your piping bag
8. Pop in your nozzle of choice
9. Half fill your piping bag and pop out all the air-holes by carefully pushing the icing down
10. Ice your cupcakes
11. Sprinkle with chopped almonds
12. Pop in the fridge for 2-3 minutes

When you get them out of the fridge, the buttercream should have hardened a little. This is great for texture and is lovely when you bite into it. So enjoy! ❤️