Summertime and the living's easy. {Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream Frosting}

Hello cupcake lovers! I haven't blogged about baking cupcakes for a really long time. Life happened and things were busy. (Isn't that always how it goes?) But I'm finally in a place that I can bake again. During my time away, we had a baby and moved back to Arizona. Life has changed dramatically for us, but in a good way. I like where things are going right now...

Anyways! Enough about me and more about how much I love living in Arizona again! ;) The only downside to living in Arizona (and honestly this isn't even a downside) is that it's pretty much summer all year long! So, in order to make summer feel more summery, I decided to bake a cupcake that will help make it feel more like summer.

When we lived in Maryland we had the chance to try a bunch of different cupcake shops. From the most popular ones: Georgetown (DC) Cupcakes to Sprinkles Cupcakes. We even got to try a Cupcake Food Truck: Curbside Cupcakes. But my favorite cupcake shop in the DC area was Baked & Wired. Their cupcakes were so amazing, I wish I had gone there more than once! But they had a cupcake that I never got to try called the Smurfette, which was a vanilla cupcake with blueberries topped with a lemon buttercream. So since I never got to try theirs, I wanted to make my own version! And here it is...

{Blueberry Lemon Cupcake with Lemon Buttercream Frosting}

Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes: 

{makes 36 cupcakes}

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 sticks of butter (room temp)

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

zest of 1 lemon

fresh squeezed lemon juice (to taste)

2 cups sour cream

1 pint of blueberries

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tins with paper liners.

2. Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl. Set aside. 

3. Mix the butter and sugar together in a stand up mixer until it's light and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time and mix thoroughly. Add the vanilla and lemon zest, mix to combine.

4. Add the flour mixture in 3 parts alternating with the sour cream, ending with dry mixture. 

5. Stir in the blueberries by hand.

6. Give the batter a taste and if it isn't lemony enough for you, add a little of the lemon juice.

7. Fill the prepared tins two-thirds full and bake 16 to 20 minutes. 

 

Lemon Buttercream Frosting:

3 sticks of butter (room temp)

3 - 4 cups of confectioner's sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

1. Whip the butter until light and fluffy.

2. Slowly add in the confectioner's sugar. I normally add it one tablespoon at a time (8 tablespoons = 1 cup). It's a little tedious and you HAVE to pay attention, but it makes it mix smoother. Be sure to stop and scrape the sides periodically, too. If you lose track, just stop and do a taste test every so often to make sure it's sweet enough. And remember that you can always add more but you can't take any out, so make sure you don't add too much or it will be too sweet.

3. Add in the vanilla extract, mix well.

4. Lastly, add in the lemon juice. Start with a tablespoon and if that isn't lemony enough for you add more. But it should be enough.

5. Pipe on to the cupcakes once they are cool. (Or else it will melt the frosting.)

I am loving how these two flavors play with each other. The sweetness from the cupcake mixed with the tartness of the blueberry and then complimented nicely with the tang of the lemon. Even if you just leave off the frosting, you have an amazing breakfast cupcake! 

I am going to keep the summer fruit theme going for my next cupcake. I'm in the mood for rhubarb, how does that sound?... :)