It’s July, and I’ve entered the second month of my Epic Summer Challenge of reworking old cupcake recipes. June saw a month of double chocolate, but July took a turn for the fruitier (thank goodness) and this week’s cupcake that won the vote for a rework was my Blackberry Vanilla Cupcakes from 2011.
Back then, I worked up a blackberry cupcake recipe (as in, I added a bunch of blackberry jam to a vanilla base) and topped it with vanilla frosting. I remember them being moist, a bit too dense, but not bad. However, they just don’t cut it by my current standards, so a rework was in order.
Luckily for me, I found inspiration by way of my favorite blogs, The Cake Blog. Back in June it showcased a gorgeous Blackberry Cobbler Cupcake that got me thinking. I decided to take my standard vanilla recipe and add a touch of blackberry extract. Then I spread a thick, seedless blackberry spread on top, sprinkled generously with a cinnamon cardamom streusel and finished with a small swirl of blackberry vanilla buttercream and a fresh blackberry. Delicious, right?
And yes, I realize it’s Thursday and not Friday, but my dear friend Rach is arriving tonight for a long weekend and I wanted to get my baking done early. Plus, who can complain about early cupcakes, right?
Ingredients
Directions
Start with the streusel crumble topping first so it has time to cool.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a rimmed baking pan with parchment paper.
Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the crumbs are fine.
Turn the crumbs out onto the parchment and spread thinly.
Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, stir around a bit, spread the streusel back out and rotate the pan. Bake for another 10 minutes. Repeat, then bake for 5 minutes until the streusel is golden.
Let the streusel cool in the pan on a wire rack, stirring it a bit to break up chunks. Set aside.
For the cupcakes, heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and position the racks toward the center. Line pans with cupcake papers.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Set aside.
Beat the eggs for 20 seconds, then add the sugar and beat for an additional 2-3 minutes until thick and creamy.
Add the oil and beat until combined. Alternate the flour mixture and milk and beat until combined.
Add the vanilla extract, as well as the blackberry extract (if using).
Divide the batter between wrappers in cupcake tins and bake for 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack completely before coring and frosting.
For the frosting, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugar a 1/2 cup at a time, beating until combined between measurements. Add the vanilla and blackberry extracts and beat on medium high speed for 2-5 minutes until light and fluffy.
To prepare the jam to be more spreadable, warm it up in the microwave for about 5-10 seconds. Stir it up, and if too hot, let it cool for a couple of minutes.
To assemble the cupcakes, spoon approximately 1 tsp of jam on top of a cupcake, spreading it around with the back of a spoon.
Sprinkle on the streusel, getting a mix of small-medium crumbs and covering evenly (don't heap it on ... it'll only fall off and make a mess).
Repeat until all cupcakes are covered with jam and streusel. Chill in the fridge for 10 minutes to set.
Pipe a small swirl of buttercream onto the center of the cupcake and top with a fresh blackberry.
July 11, 2013 at 12:09 pm
I loved this rework. The blackberry flavor was present throughout without overpowering the smooth vanilla of the cake and frosting. The salty streusel topping was delicious!!!!
Only problem was the frosting wanted to fall off. It couldn’t adhere to the cake because of the streusel. Of course this is only a problem if you start eating your cupcake while walking back to your desk because you can’t wait 30 seconds to dig in.
July 11, 2013 at 12:12 pm
Yeah, I was worried about that! Buttercream can be finicky sometimes about what it wants to stick to. Nevertheless, so glad you enjoyed the cupcake!
July 16, 2013 at 8:27 pm
This sounds delicious! I’ll definitely be trying it out. I love a good fruity cupcake. Sometimes I think they’re harder to find because the flavors really have to be there, whereas chocolate cupcakes can sort of skate by if they’re not fantastic because of frosting and other factors.
July 17, 2013 at 8:38 am
I agree completely! These are definitely tasty, but might not be AS fruity as you’re looking for (I was going for more subtle flavors here). That said, this week I’m working on a raspberry cupcake that will have a decent amount of berry puree in them, so check back!
July 17, 2013 at 10:10 am
Great! I’m a sucker for anything that involves raspberry, so I’ll definitely come back to check them out.