With the weather getting colder, I thought this week I’d make a summertime treat to raise my roommates’ spirits. I hate to say it, but this week almost ended in a fail. It may have something to do with me substituting three ingredients and the fact that I didn’t have a tin to bake cupcakes in. But with a few adjustments and an entire can of cream cheese frosting, the day was saved.
This week: Blackberry Lemon Cupcakes (courtesy of Pastry Affair)
Keep reading to see how to make these sweet treats…
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The Ingredients
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup sour cream (or plain, non-fat yogurt)
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups cake flour (I didn’t have cake flour, so I made substitute cake flour by using a mixture of flour and corn starch)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Juice from half of a lemon
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries (I didn’t have raspberries, but I had frozen blackberries in my freezer so I decided to give those a try)
*I decided not to make the cream cheese frosting from scratch because I was being lazy that day. Also, considering City Co had cream cheese frosting in a can, I had no motivation to make it from scratch.
Making the Cupcakes
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest with your fingers until fragrant (about 1-2 minutes).
2. Add the butter and beat until light and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Beat in the sour cream, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract.
5. Gradually add in the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix in the milk and lemon juice, stirring until batter is uniform and smooth.
6. Gently stir in the raspberries.
7. Fill baking cups about 2/3 full and bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Because I didn’t have the right baking tin, this cake took about 40 minutes to bake.
8. Remove from the oven, transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack, and allow to cool to room temperature before frosting. In my eagerness to save the cake, I put the frosting on too early and it began to melt so I put them in the freezer.
Click to the next page to see the final result!
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Finished Product
*before icing and cutting into squares*
Time Spent in the Kitchen: Two hours
Rating: 4
When I take into consideration the fact that I didn’t have sour cream, cake flour, raspberries, a mixer, or a cupcake tin, I’d say this was somewhat of a success? (Emphasis on the question mark). I’ll definitely make sure I have all the necessary ingredients next time I go to bake or cook something. Until then…
Peace, Love, and Pinterest
-Katherine