Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes

Cupcakes.  Yum.  I was thinking about them just the other day and my mind wandered to the cupcake cafe where I used to go in Idaho.  It is a quite charming place and has every kind of cupcake you can imagine:  Raspberry Cheesecake, Mint Truffle, Mexican Chocolate, and Lemon Blueberry.  Where I live here in New York, no cupcake cafe!  So, I went in search of finding a good cupcake recipe online and.... I FOUND ONE!  Our Best Bites has some amazingly delicious recipes and this lemon blueberry cupcake recipe is no exception.  And to top it off, the frosting recipe is to die for.  Yummmmm.   If you fancy yourself a delicious cupcake anytime soon, you can find the recipe HERE or you can keep reading:

First off, you need to make the cake part.  Our Best Bites uses a white cake recipe with lemon flavoring instead of almond extract.  

Easy White Cake

1 box white cake mix (Duncan Hines super moist is best, and yes that’s not what’s in my photo)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 tsp salt
4 egg whites
1 1/3 cups water
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract (use clear vanilla if you want a pure white cake)
1 tsp almond extract

Mix all dry ingredients with a whisk, then add wet ingredients. Beat for two minutes until fluffy.

For Cake: Pour into greased, floured pans (fills two 8 or 9″ rounds) and bake according to cake package directions.

Tip:  When cakes come out, cool for 5 minutes on wire rack, then cover with two sheets of plastic wrap (in a “+” sign), turn them out and wrap the plastic around them. Allow to cool all wrapped up (keeps the moisture from evaporating out) then pop in freezer on a cutting board to keep them flat. Once they are frozen, they are super easy to frost and defrost in about a half an hour.

For cupcakes: fill paper liners 3/4 full and bake according to box directions.  Makes 36 cupcakes.

After you make the white cake, let it cool and then it's time for the filling. YES!  FILLING.  Oh blessed goodness....And it's simple.  All you need is a jar of blueberry fruit spread.  The fruit is a little chunky, so you can put it through a food processor or blender.  Add a little lemon juice to make it smooth.  Then fill a piping bag with the spread and insert the tip into the cupcake.  As you give the bag a squeeze, pull up at the same time.  You can actually feel it filling up and it happens really fast. 

After you complete this step, set the cupcakes aside and begin working on the frosting.  I suggest you at least DOUBLE the recipe.  

A great secret to this recipe is it begins with a white sauce.  It helps the frosting be light and fluffy, and the sweetness is just perfect.  It's not too sweet or thick.  It really is the perfect frosting!  

This is the White Sauce:

3 tablespoon Flour
1/2 cup milk 

Whisk together the flour and the milk. Heat in a small sauce pan on medium heat.Whisk continuously until it starts to thicken. Let it cook, while stirring, until you can start to see the bottom of the pan. Smash any flour lumps with a rubber spatula to keep mixture smooth. Once the consistency is smooth, chill the sauce in the fridge.  Once it is completely cool, you can add it to the rest of the recipe. 

1/2 cup real butter 
1/2 cup sugar 
1 teaspoon lemon extract, or other flavor if you wish.

It an electric stand mixer, beat the butter and the sugar for a minute or two until well combined and fluffy. You’ll want to use the whisk attachment on a stand mixer, not the flat paddle. Then while beating, add in the thickened milk mixture and the vanilla. Beat to combine and then scrape down the sides. Beat on med-high until it comes together and becomes light and fluffy.  It can take anywhere from 5-10 minutes.

After it's light and fluffy, fill a piping bag with a star tip, and put the icing on the cupcake in a circular motion.

Then top with a blueberry!

VOILA! They are perfect :)

Enjoy!

Trees

I highly doubt this will be the last time you see a tree on my blog.  I love trees.  I'm enchanted by trees.  I often find myself scribbling a tree in the margin of my notebook.  Pray tell me, why are trees so beautiful?

Come to think of it, it's very possible that my love for trees began with this story:  The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.

Here is a short film of Shel Silverstein in 1973 narrating the story with his animations.  It is a lovely story, and if you haven't read it, please do.

Write Here

I am a pro journalist.  I’m not talking published works that change the world.  I’m talking volumes of diaries.  There is a box buried in the attic stuffed with at least 20 journals and loose-leaf paper all scribbled over with my dreams, routines, and childish rants.  That does not include the pile of leather bound journals stacked next to my bed, nor my moleskins tucked away in purses and bags.  And don’t get me started on how many sketch journals I have.  I could never bear to get rid of the papered mess that I have, although I’m sure half of it may be quite worthless.  When the pencil becomes gripped between my fingers and touches to paper, history is made.  It is not your history, nor anyone’s but mine.  My writings and drawings are important to me.  More than important, actually, they are invaluable.  I not only crave to record my every moment, but I feel that it is my duty.  When I do not put pencil to paper, I feel as if I have left a memory to disappear and fade into the back of my mind.  Maybe someday it will be recalled, but more often than not, it shrivels to dust and is completely forgotten. 

I ache when I cannot relive a moment perfectly.  If I leave an experience to shelve away in my mind, details are forgotten, circumstances are altered, the true memory is compromised and my own past changes.  Good or bad, my experiences must be tangible.  I must be able to grip them within my own hands and see them with my own eyes. 

For the last two years, my journal has laid quietly next to my bed.  Every two months or so I pick it up and scribble, “Not much has changed.  I’ll write again when I have something more exciting to report.”  Now, how ridiculous can I be?  My true reasons for not writing are incredibly selfish:  I’m tired, I’m bored, I’m angry, I’m just not in the mood.  Truly, there is no excuse for not writing, and truly life is not so bad that I have nothing to write about.  I must record my experiences, my passions, my dislikes, my loves, and my dreams.  I cannot go on allowing my experiences to fade to abbreviated memories and be recorded incorrectly when I am “in the mood.”  I must pick up the pace and not leave out a single detail.

An experiment is about to begin.  Maybe what I need is a change.  I need a fresh look, a new feel, something updated and exciting.  So, here I am recording my stories and memories with my keyboard.  It’s not a pencil, but I’d like to think of it so.  I have much to share and offer with my rambling words on a page.  I have thoughts and experiences worth sharing.  This experiment is very much for myself, but if you find yourself here as well, I will gladly sit back and love to learn of your thoughts and experiences as well.  Life must be recorded, and what better way than through words on a page?