Blueberry Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting - Cupcake Challenge

I love Hoosier Homemade's site, have you checked it out?  I especially LOVE Cupcake Tuesday!  So when she posted the Cupcake Challenge I decided to whip out my mixer and join in!

This weeks challenge is about Summertime flavors, and putting them into a cupcake.  When I think of summertime I think of all the delicious flavors that I can find at the Farmer's Market, especially the blueberries!  When I saw this recipe for Blueberry Hill cupcakes on Yumsugar, I knew I had to make them!   I did make a couple of changes, I didn't add the lemon in the cupcakes but used my new favorite product, vanilla bean paste.  I love the wonderful flecks of vanilla bean that it leaves in whatever you add it to and it is a lot easier/cheaper then adding whole vanilla beans.  I also made a lemon cream cheese frosting instead of the one that they recommended.  I love the tangy bite of the cream cheese and can't think of a better combination then blueberries, lemon and cream cheese!  YUM!

The result was a cross between a cupcake and muffin, the cupcake wasn't too sweet which was nice and they were very moist.  I loved the burst of blueberries in the cake and the gentle vanilla background.  I would make these again - maybe adding a little more sugar or maybe vanilla bean yogurt instead of buttermilk to the batter to make them feel like a cupcake.  Overall they are something that I recommend making while blueberries are still in season!

Blueberry Hill Cupcakes

Adapted from Yumsugar

3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 1/4 cups fresh blueberries, frozen for 4 hours

Sift together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl.  In a seperate bowl whisk together melted butter and oil until well combined.  Whisk in eggs one at a time.  Whisk in buttermilk, milk and vanilla bean paste until fully incorporated.  Add wet ingredients into dry ingredients and whisk until just combined.  Stir in blueberries.  

Fill greased or paper lined cupcake pan 3/4 full.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.  Cool completely on wire rack.  Makes 24 cupcakes.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe from Real Simple

8 oz. room temperature cream cheese

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Zest of one lemon

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese until smooth.  Add in lemon juice and zest.  Slowly incorporate powdered sugar until fully mixed.  You can add more cream cheese if you want a thicker consistency.

ENJOY!