Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes. Lovely little mini cakes deliver the perfect balance of sweet and tart. Fresh lemon zest and juice paired with fresh blueberries and a splash of vanilla. Cupcakes topped with piped vanilla bean, fresh lemon, and blueberry flavored buttercream frostings.
In just two weeks, temperatures dropped almost 20 degrees. It was a welcome reprieve. 95 degree days are for Phoenix. Getting up at the crack of dawn to get baking out of the way is for bakeries. I prefer to meander about my day for several hours before I venture anywhere near the oven. Chocolate covered cashew ice cream anyone?
As such, I’ve only just now shifted into fall dessert making. I’m behind but catching up quickly. I just made an apple almond tart, an apple crisp, and I have a chocolate pumpkin tart in the works for tomorrow. A couple poached pear desserts are being fine-tuned. This is my favorite time of year to bake. And while citrus is associated with summer, presumably for its refreshing qualities, its largely a winter crop. I don’t start playing around with grapefruits until after Christmas, and they’re at their peak.
Even with these few weeks being all about apples, pumpkins, etc., citrus makes its way into most of my baking because of how it pairs so beautifully with other fruits. AS a flavor and as a brightener. These raspberry almond financiers have a wonderful lemony flavor, and these peach strawberry pop tarts get their pop from both fresh lemon zest and fresh lemon juice.
Like these cupcakes, and the lemon blueberry layer cake crafted from the same base recipe, I love lemon and I buy citrus every time I hit my local supermarket or farmers market. I cook with it almost daily and it makes its way into my baking on a regular basis. Lemons are my main go to, with limes, oranges, and grapefruits a distant second.
Why You Should Make These Cupcakes
- the fresh flavors of lemon + blueberry are amazing together.
- cupcakes are delicious unfrosted.
- make 18 regular or 9 jumbo cupcakes.
- vanilla bean, lemon curd, and blueberry puree flavored frostings compliment beautifully.
- these tender mini cakes store quite nicely in an airtight container.
How To Make These Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
The oven is preheated to 350 degrees F. 18 paper cupcake liners are placed into 2 (12 cavity) regular muffin tins or cupcake pans.
These cupcakes require the zest and juice from two lemons. I start there.
All-purpose flour, baking powder, and sea salt are added to a small bowl, whisked to combine, and set aside.
Unsalted butter and sugar are added to a stand mixer and beaten on medium high for several minutes to aerate the mixture. Alternately, this can be accomplished with a hand mixer.
Eggs are added one at a time and beaten on low speed after each addition, for about 30 seconds. Vanilla bean paste and fresh lemon zest are added and beaten on low to incorporate.
The flour mixture and milk mixture are added alternately and beaten on low to combine. I did about half of each at a time.
Blueberries are tossed in flour and folded in to the cupcake batter. The batter is divided equally among the prepared cupcake pans.
The cupcakes are baked in a preheated oven for about 22 minutes. The cupcake pans are set on wire racks to cool. The cupcakes are removed from the pans and cooled completely before frosting.
I frosted my cupcakes with lemon, blueberry, and vanilla buttercream.
Other Cupcake Recipes You Might Enjoy
Some of our most popular cupcake recipes include chocolate cupcakes, vanilla bean cupcakes, caramel apple cupcakes, pear cupcakes, and orange cupcakes.
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Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
Equipment
- 2 (12 cavity) regular size muffin pans
Ingredients
Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes:
- 336 grams cake flour (3 cups)
- 10 grams baking powder (2 teaspoons)
- 3 grams sea salt (1/2 teaspoon)
- 180 grams whole milk (3/4 cup)
- 60 grams fresh lemon juice (1/4 cup)
- 226 grams unsalted butter (8 ounces OR 2 sticks), softened
- 400 grams granulated sugar (2 cups)
- 200 grams egg (4 large), room temperature
- 10 grams vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract (2 teaspoons)
- 6 grams fresh lemon zest (1 tablespoon)
- 320 grams fresh blueberries (2 cups)
- 25 grams cake flour (approx. 2 tablespoons)
Instructions
Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) regular muffin pans with 18 paper cupcake liners.
- Add cake flour, baking powder, and sea salt to a small mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Add fresh lemon juice to milk and set aside for several minutes.
- Add unsalted butter and granulated sugar to stand mixer. Beat on medium high speed for about 3 minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating on low after each addition for about 30 seconds, or until incorporated.
- Add vanilla bean paste and fresh lemon zest. Beat on low for about 15 seconds, or until incorporated.
- Add half the flour mixture. Beat on low, just until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Add half the milk mixture. Beat on low, just until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Repeat process with remaining flour and milk mixtures. Avoid over mixing.
- Add blueberries and cake flour to small bowl. Toss gently to combine. Remove bowl from stand mixer. Fold in blueberries.
- Divide cupcake batter between prepared muffin pans. Bake in preheated oven for 22 minutes, or until cupcakes are golden along the edges, firm to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
- Remove muffin pans from oven and place on wire racks to cool.
- Remove cupcakes from muffin pans. Cool completely before frosting.
