Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Lemon Blackberry Cupcakes

Hi guys!

Today I'll be sharing a recipe for Lemon Blackberry Cupcakes. Holy moly, are they ever tasty! A few weeks ago I shared a recipe for PB&J Cupcakes, which were a trial run for a potential recipe for my friends' wedding that's happening in a couple of weeks. They've requested that I make their cake (I'm beyond flattered), and have asked that it be gluten free and vegan so everyone can partake! Well, at the get-go it was a bit of a daunting task, but now that I'm settling into it, I gotta say, delicious gluten free and vegan cake is easy!

Honestly, these Lemon Blackberry Cupcakes are so good that I felt like I was eating gluten filled, dairy filled cake. My family (who were told to pull no punches!) agreed, too, and my coworkers positively devoured them!

Man, really. They're good. These Lemon Blackberry Cupcakes are comprised of tart lemon cake with blackberry lemon filling and are topped with sweet, tangy lemon buttercream and fresh blackberries. Here's how to make them!

Lemon Blackberry Cupcakes: Gluten free and vegan, makes 16 cupcakes

Ingredients:

For cake:
- 1 package Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Vanilla Cake Mix (If you're raising your eyebrows at the mention of cake mix, just trust me. This one is awesome and ya know what? Gluten free flour is hard to get right sometimes!)
- 3 flax "eggs." To make a flax "egg" mix 1 tbsp flax meal with 3 tbsp warm water. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, stirring a few times, and then use away!
- 1/2 c vegetable oil
- 1/2 c fresh squeezed lemon juice
- Zest of 1 lemon

For filling:
- 1/2 cup fresh blackberries
- 1/2 cup lemon curd or lemon filling (check to be sure it's gluten free and vegan if you need it to be!).

For Buttercream:
- 1/2 c vegan butter at room temperature. (I used Earth Balance Buttery Sticks)
- 3 c powdered sugar
- 1/4 c fresh squeezed lemon juice
- Zest of 1 lemon

Garnish:
- Fresh blackberries, enough for 1 per cupcake!

1. Preheat your oven to 325°F and line your cupcake pan(s) with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl combine the cake mix with your flax "eggs." Beat on medium speed until well combined.
3. Add the oil, lemon juice, and lemon zest and beat on medium speed for 1 minute, scraping down the sides part way through.
4. Fill your cupcake pans with batter. You'll want to fill them to about 1/2" down from the edge of the liner.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and then tops are evvvver so slightly golden. Then, remove from the oven and let cool.
5. To make the filling, begin by muddling the blackberries in a small bowl. I don't have a muddler, so I just smash 'em with a fork! Smash!!!
6. Then, add the lemon curd or lemon filling, mix to combine, and set aside.
7. Once your cupcakes have cooled, use a knife to cut a little cone of cake out of the middle of each cupcake to make room for your filling! Just be sure to not cut through to the bottom, or else a pile of blackberry filling goo will await you when you take your cupcake out of its wrapper. Trouble.
8. Then, using a small spoon, fill your cupcakes with the blackberry filling. You are also more than welcome to use a piping bag for this, just be sure to use a tip that's large enough to avoid it getting clogged by the blackberry seeds.
9. Next up, it's buttercream time! Begin by beating the vegan butter on medium speed until smooth.
10. Then, add the lemon zest and part of the powdered sugar and beat at medium speed, adding more powdered sugar as it's incorporated, and until it's all been added.
10. Add the lemon juice, and beat on medium speed until well combined and super smooth!
11. Load your buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a number 22 star tip, and pipe the lemon buttercream onto your cupcakes. You can also totally spread it on with a knife if you don't have a piping bag handy (Hey, I've been there! Let's be real. I was always there until about a month ago).
12. Finish off your cupcakes by placing a fresh blackberry on top of each one, then stand back and admire your handy work!
Aren't they just the dreamiest little things? I just need to run it by my friends, but I think these are going to be the wedding cupcakes! They're delicious as they are pretty, and have such bright fresh flavors that I think they'll be perfect for a summer day!

I hope you get a chance to try these out!

Til next time!

-Becca

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30 comments:

  1. Yes! I'm so glad you shared this recipe. It looks amazing! You always have such an eye for making your food look so delicious and perfect!

    Whimsy Darling

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    1. Thank you so much, Alex! You are too sweet! My blog has definitely taught me that I have a serious love for food photography (I already knew I loved food!).

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  2. So basically what you're saying is that you're going to come to my house and bake me delicious and beautiful baked goods? You didn't? Weird, because that's what I heard as I was scrolling through this post with my mouth watering... ;)

    www.room-334.blogspot.com

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    1. Hahaha, you're right, it was totally implied ; )

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  3. you have the most darling blog ever, i love it! and those cupcakes! they look straight out of a magazine :D

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    1. Thank you so much, Kaelah! I really appreciate you stopping by and am totally flattered by your sweet compliments!

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  4. Oh my goodness these look SO delicious! I have never tried gluten free and vegan baking (though I am a vegetarian!) and I would love to try these! Thanks for sharing, hope you're having a great day!
    xo Hannah
    thebraidedbandit.blogspot.com
    thebraidedbandit.etsy.com

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    1. Thank you so much! I've done my fair share of gluten free baking, but this is only my second or third attempt at both vegan and gluten free. It's been pretty easy so far, so if you're curious to give it a shot, this is a great recipe to start with!

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  5. These cupcakes look soooo yummy and I'm not even a big fan of blackberries! :)

    http://bluntlybeautiful.blogspot.com/2013/07/is-it-worth-dreaming.html

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    1. Haha, thank you! You could totally omit the blackberry if you wanted. If you like raspberries these would be great with raspberry, too!

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  6. please move to austin and bake for me. i'm not sure what talents i can use as a service in return, but i'm sure we can figure it out.
    xo nicole
    writeslikeagirlblog.com

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    1. Haha, I dunno about moving, but if I'm ever in town I'd be happy to come over and bake for you!

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  7. OH my goodness these look absolutely amazing! I have to send the recipe to my mom; she's allergic to gluten, my dad's intolerant to dairy, and she can't have eggs. So these would be PERFECT for them! And they're so, so pretty. Perfect for a wedding!
    Not related to this post, but I decided to buy Canning for a New Generation because of you, and I can't wait for it to get here! My mother-in-law does pickles, peaches, and lots of jams yearly (she has tons of plums to use right now!), so I think I'll go over there and do some canning with her once the book gets here. I'm super excited!
    Happy Tuesday!
    xo
    Kristina
    www.eccentricowl.com

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    1. Thanks, Kristina! These would totally be perfect for your parents! Oh, I'm glad you picked it up. I'll be doing canned peaches in a couple of weeks and LOVE the recipe in that book (it has vanilla bean added to the jars), so I bet you'll have a blast with it.

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  8. Those look sooo good! Any type of cake with filling is always my favorite! Perfect for summer....yum.

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    1. Thanks, Courtney! I love cake with filling, too. It's such a fun, tasty surprise!

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  9. Omg YUM! These babies look sooo delicious and cute!

    Xo, Hannah

    sweetsweetnoir.net

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  10. I had a blackberry and basil cupcake the other day which was ah-mazing, in case you're looking for a next time twist =)

    Teffy || Teffys Perks Blog ||

    Xx

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    1. Those sound amazing! I was actually thinking of basil when I made these but decided one more ingredient would have me in over my head!

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  11. Oh man, these look amazing. I'm a fan of any dessert with fruit. I've been off the sugar lately but maybe I should make an exception. I mean, they are gluten free AND vegan so that cancels out the sugar, right? ;)

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    1. Haha, it totally cancels out the sugar ; )! I love fruity desserts, too!

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  12. These look so good! Definitely going on my to bake list!

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  13. These look SO incredible oh my goodness...!

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  14. oh my! those look so tasty! the filling and soft pretty frosting! oh yum!!!
    kelseybang.com

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  15. If I only need to be gluten free, not vegan, could I just use a few regular eggs instead of flax "eggs"?

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  16. Hi Alexis! Yes, you could definitely do that. It'll actually bake up a bit easier that way! You can also uses dairy butter for the frosting instead of vegan butter.

    Happy baking!

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