By Elizabeth Stark
Are there any purple lovers in your house? I was a strawberry girl growing up, and always had pink strawberry birthday cakes for my July birthday. But blackberries are so fleeting and wonderful, it’s nice to give them a nod this time of year too. And there’s the history–just the other day, my daughter enjoyed a snack of blackberries and milk just like a certain trio of very good bunnies. Blackberry mini cupcakes, with tangy blackberry cream cheese frosting and a real blackberry crown are the perfect little treat for summer parties.
This recipe utilizes my go-to cake recipe–classic 1-2-3-4 cake, paired with a creamy, fruity blackberry cream cheese frosting.
More Cupcakes Recipe:
Apple Spice Cupcakes with Cider Icing
Blackberry Mini Cupcakes
makes 24 mini cupcakes
For the cupcakes
Ingredients
- 2 eggs (separated and at room temperature)
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup of butter (room temperature)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup milk (room temperature)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, butter the mini muffin tin and line cups with paper.
- With a mixer or beaters, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Spoon egg whites into a small bowl and set aside. Next, combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl, set aside.
- In the same bowl used for beating the eggs whites, beat the butter until it is light and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat for two more minutes. Next, beat in the egg yolks one at a time, and finally, add the vanilla.
- With mixer on low, add half the milk and half the flour mixture, and then the other half of the milk and the other half of the flour. Fold in half the eggs whites and mix just until combined. Fold in the second half and gently mix all ingredients until combined.
- Spoon the batter into the muffin tins, filling each cup 2/3 3/4 of the way full. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the cupcakes are a light golden color and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool cupcakes completely and then frost.
For the blackberry cream cheese frosting
Ingredients
- 8 large blackberries, plus 1/2 blackberry per cupcake
- 1 8 oz. package Neufchatel or cream cheese, room temperature
- 4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
- Using a fork, macerate the blackberries thoroughly. Spoon into a strainer, and press the blackberries, so as to extract all of the juice.
- Using a beater, or the paddle attachment in your stand mixer, beat together the cream cheese and butter. Add in the powdered sugar and blackberry juice. When the batter is smooth, and the vanilla and beat a few seconds more.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes and top each one with a half blackberry. If you will not be serving the cupcakes right away, you may want to add the blackberry toppers at the last minute.
