Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes {Foodie Friday}

I’m kind of weird about lemon stuff. Most of the time it just reminds me of what a clean bathroom smells like. I suppose there are worse things that it could smell like. Anyway, that is not the case with these cupcakes. They are the perfect mixture of lemon and blueberry goodness.

 Most of the time I spent preparing these was zesting the lemons. It took me like 20 minutes. I’m sure there is an easier way, so if you know what it is, please share!

Looking for more blueberry goodies? Check out Blueberry Muffins and Blueberry Crumb Cake

One Year Ago: Dairy Delicious Dip

Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes

Yield: about 16 cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:
1 ½  cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour, divided
1½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
Zest of  1 lemon
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. lemon juice
½ cup plus 2 tbsp. milk, at room temperature
1 cup fresh blueberries

For the frosting: 
8 oz. cream cheese
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted (plus more if needed)
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
Zest of 1 large lemon
Additional fresh blueberries, for garnish

Directions

·         Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the ¾ cup all-purpose flour, the cake flour, baking powder and salt; whisk together and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, sugar and lemon zest. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and lemon juice. With the mixer on low speed, mix in half of the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Blend in the milk. Mix in the remaining dry ingredients, beating just until incorporated.

·         In a small bowl, toss the blueberries with the remaining 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Using a spatula gently fold the berries into the cake batter. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared liners, filling each about ¾ full. Bake 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pans 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

·         To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in the lemon juice and lemon zest. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until totally incorporated, increase the speed and then beat until smooth. You may need to add more sugar to stiffen it up. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired. (I used a large, unlabeled star tip to frost these cupcakes.) Garnish with fresh blueberries.

Source: Annie's Eats

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