Happiness is when you enter the supermarket and you see the berries on sale. Double happiness is when your mother comes back from the supermarket with a couple punnets of blueberries for you because it was on sale. Thank you mommie. You and blueberries are the best combo ever. ♥
I am absolutely in love with these pictures.
I rarely get to shoot in natural light. I’ve often read that for beautiful food photography, one calls for sunshine. As a blogger who mostly cooks dinner only, I find it hard to shoot in natural day light. The moment I start cooking, the sun is almost on it’s way down waving goodbye. This was unitary of those days where I had the opportunity to catch some morning sunlight.
I bear a soft corner for cupcakes. It is not because I love to eat them, but it is due to that fact that cupcakes have always been an integral part in my baking career. I have been baking cupcakes since the cupcake craze started more than 10 years ago. Baking cupcakes have come a long way for me, from the standard ones with a swirl of cream or those customized ones. I do not bake cupcakes as often as I used to but whenever I do, I thoroughly enjoy every moment of it.
In the center of all my packing, I claimed a time out to bake a batch of cupcakes for my mother’s friend. Remember the few punnets of blueberries that my mom bought? Yes, half of those have been put to good use.
A vanilla cupcake, with a hint of lemon, juicy blueberries and topped with creamy Swiss meringue butter-cream. These lemon and blueberry cupcakes are not the typical ones with a bunch of blueberries bursting in every nook of the cupcakes. Imagine a vanilla cupcake with a hint of lemon and occasionally you get blueberries in between bites. Yes, this is that kinda cupcake. I topped these with Swiss meringue butter-cream and it was delicious! I can never understand people who frost their cupcakes with a combo of icing sugar + butter + milk which is often overly sweet and not creamy. You guys have never tried Swiss meringue butter-cream, I suppose.
Swiss meringue butter-cream is silky, buttery, delicious, light and it pips beautifully over cupcakes. I can write an entire blog post on Swiss Meringue Buttercream itself! (Which I just might, soon). These Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes with Swiss Meringue Butter-cream were the perfect weekend treat. Soft and fluffy cake against a rich, yet light butter-cream. This might just be a new favorite with your family!
This batter itself is really versatile. You can make strawberry cupcakes, pineapple cupcakes, chocolate chip cupcakes and lots more from this basic recipe. I personally feel that that is nothing more imperative in a baker’s recipe collection than a basic vanilla cupcake or a basic butter cake!
Ingredients
Method
- Beat butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
- Add lemon zest and eggs, one at a time, beating until well combined.
- Add about a third of the flour and beat to combine.
- Mix in half of the milk nd beat to combine. Continue adding, alternating between dry and wet and finishing with the dry.
- Stir in vanilla and the blueberries.
- Scoop batter into cupcake cups about ⅔’s full and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Keep aside to cool while making the frosting.
- Combine egg whites and sugar in the heatproof bowl of a standing mixer set over a pan of simmering water.
- Whisk constantly by hand until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved.
- Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
- Start on low and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, whisk until stiff peaks form.
- Continue mixing until the mixture is fluffy and glossy, and completely cool for about 7-10 minutes.
- With mixer on medium-low speed, add the butter a little at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Once all butter has been added, whisk in vanilla.
- Continue beating for about 3-5 minutes and do keep scraping down the sides of bowl with a flexible spatula,
- Once smooth, stop beating and frost cupcakes as desired.
