Week One: Lemon-Blueberry Cupcakes

Welcome to Week One. It's all about a fantastic recipe for Lemon-Blueberry Cupcakes.

I found this recipe in a cupcake recipe book called The Big Book of Cupcakes. It has tons of great cupcake recipes in it.

I think that these cupcakes, with the picnic like liners, would be good for like, I don't know, a picnic. They just remind me of some Southern Belle girl, dainty yet with a touch of country in her.
I suggest some type of blue checkered cupcake liners or liners of your choosing.

Some tips:

I messed up on making the icing and made this weird goopy, grainy mixture. I do not recommend that, though it tasted good, it did not look appealing to the eye. I did change the directions so you would make a buttercream instead of whatever I made.

Within the cake, the blueberries did juice a bit and the cupcake liner got a bit soggy on the bottom. I suggest lining them twice.

So, here's the recipe and directions for making the cake:

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 tablespoons grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup milk
+ 1 cup blueberries
+ 1 tablespoon flour

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.
2. Line cupcake pan with chosen/recommended liners.
3. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium (setting 4 for Kitchenaid) for 30 seconds.
5. Gradually add sugar (1/4 cup at a time). Beat well after each addition.
6. Don't forget to scrape the bowl.
7. Beat 2 minutes longer.
8. Beat in the grated lemon peel and vanilla.
9. On low speed (stir setting for Kitchenaid) alternatively add four mixture and milk, a little at a time.
10. Beat until blended.
11. Fold in the blueberries, adding more if you please.
12. Fill cupcake liners, about 2/3 full.
13. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (21 minutes was perfect for me). They're done when a toothpick comes out clean.
14. Take them out and let them cool for 5 to 10 minutes then remove from pan.
15. Frost, decorate, and then enjoy!

Frosting recipe:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cups unsalted butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
1 table spoon milk

Directions:

1. Beat butter until smooth.
2. Add lemon peel, salt, vanilla, and milk.
3. Beat until blended.
4. Slowly add in sugar.
5. Beat for 4 minutes or until smooth and creamy.
6. Add more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time until you have reached your desired texture.
7. Frost cupcakes.

Garnish:

1 cup fresh blueberries
Lemon peel twists
Fresh mint leaves

Directions:

I placed a few blueberries on the top of the cupcake, stuck a mint leaf between the two and started on making the lemon peel twists...
I sliced strips of lemon with the width that I wanted the twists to be and pushed out the lemon flesh in the center. Don't touch your eyes. I repeat. Do. Not. Touch. Your. Eyes. It will sting. Also, you should have parental supervision if you are under aged.
After, I took a small paring knife and cut the lemon peel. Don't cut it in half or anything, just cut one side so it still looks like a circle of lemon peel but it's just cut so you can pull it apart. I then dragged the knife around the inside or around the white part of the lemon and cut the rest of the fleshy part off the lemon off.
I cut and inch to an inch and a half inch strips of lemon rind, took each end and curled, or twisted, it into a little spiral. You should hold them for a while so they can stay curled.
Gently place your lemon peel twists next to the blueberries and mint leaf and enjoy!
(Note: I don't suggest eating the lemon peel twist or the mint leaf.)

Thanks for baking with me!

-Laura