Vanilla Blackberry Cupcakes

My sister kindly shared her kitchen so that I could whip up some cupcakes. The baking was a much needed break from my kitchen remodeling project.

These pretty vanilla cupcakes are filled with a blackberry filling and topped with a vanilla cream cheese icing.

Vanilla Blackberry Cupcakes
(makes 18 cupcakes)

Cupcake Batter
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs plus 2 egg yolks, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pans with papers.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on high until light and fluffy, about 6 minutes.

Beat in the eggs plus egg yolks, one at a time, until combined. Beat in vanilla.

In another large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. With mixer on low, add a third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beating to combine. Beat in 3/4 cup buttermilk, another third of the flour mixture, another 3/4 cup buttermilk, and remaining flour mixture until just combined. Scrape down the bowl as needed.

Fill the cupcake papers 2/3 full.  Bake for 18 to 25 minutes in a 350 degree oven or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Let the cupcakes cool before filling and frosting.

Blackberry Filling
1 16 ounce bag frozen blackberries
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons cornstarch

Heat the frozen blackberries and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Keep a watch over them and periodically give them a stir and smash them so they break apart.

Transfer the mixture to a fine sieve over a bowl and push the mixture through the sieve to remove the blackberry seeds.


Return the mixture to the saucepan and bring back to a simmer.

In a small bowl whisk together the cream and cornstarch. When the blackberry  mixture is simmering, add the cream mixture and whisk constantly over medium heat for two to three minutes until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and let cool completely before using.

Let the filling cool completely before using.

Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar, divided
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened

In a saucepan over medium heat, cook the milk and half of the sugar until simmering.
In the meantime, in a small bowl combine the cream, the other half of the sugar and cornstarch. Mix well with a whisk.

When the milk is simmering,  pour about half of it into the cream mixture and whisk well. Add it back to the milk in the saucepan and heat, stirring constantly until the mixture becomes very thick.

Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla. Put the mixture into a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the mixture cool completely.


When the buttercream base is cool, transfer it to a mixer and whip until smooth, add the butter and the cream cheese, a tablespoon at a time and whip until light and fluffy.

To Assemble:
Transfer the filling to a piping bag fitted with a large open tip. Insert the tip into the center of a cupcake and fill with a tablespoon or two of filling.

Filled cupcakes.

 Finally, top the cupcakes with cream cheese icing. I like to use a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip.

Enjoy!

My husband enjoying his blackberry filled cupcake.