Garden Party Cupcakes

Today I met up with some girls from work for lunch.  In just a few weeks summer will be over and we’ll be back to our jobs at school!  I offered to bring dessert (of course) and as if my co workers haven’t had enough of my cupcakes, I brought some!

Pretty ones this time (well, I think they’re all pretty…).  Perfect for a garden party!  Treats for a nice bunch of ladies who deserve a bouquet of summer flowers every now and then.

I think these would be welcome at any gathering.  How about a rose or two?

Do you have a picture of cupcakes fit for a garden party?  I would love to see it!

I must say that as good as they looked, they tasted even better.  Blueberry Cakes with Lemon Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting.    A very moist cake, bursting with fresh local blueberries and a tangy, creamy frosting.  I am a die-hard fan of Swiss Meringue Buttercream.   I rarely make any other kind of frosting.  Nothing compares to the creamy, light texture and sweet taste.  It’s what takes cake to a gourmet level!

Blueberry Cupcakes

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups vanilla sugar, regular white sugar is fine too

4 eggs, room temperature

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups of fresh blueberries

Heat oven to 350° and line 2 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners.

1.   In a small bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda.  Set aside.

2.  In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy and well combined (2-3 minutes).  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating each egg until well incorporated.  Beat in lemon juice.  Add the dry ingredients 1 cup at a time and alternate with the milk and vanilla.   Mix the last addition of flour until the ingredients are well incorporated but do not over mix!  Gently fold in blueberries.

3.  Fill cupcake liners until 3/4 full.  Bake for 18-20 minutes until cake tester comes out clean.  Cool in pans for 10 minutes then move to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.

Lemon Swiss Meringue Buttercream

from Martha Stewart

5  large egg whites

pinch of kosher salt

1 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar

4 sticks unsalted butter, very soft

1 1/2 tsp lemon extract

1.  Fill a saucepan (large enough to fit your mixing bowl just a few inches) with a few inches of water.  Bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat to med-low so water continues to simmer.

2.  In your stand mixer bowl, hand whisk the egg whites, sugar and salt just until combined.  Place over simmering pot and whisk for approx 4 mins until the egg whites are hot (about 140 degrees).  The sugar should be dissolved by this time as well.  Place bowl on stand mixer and attach the whisk attachment.  Whisk on medium until whites have increased in volume and the outside of the bowl is just slightly warm to the touch.

3.  Remove whisk attachment and replace with paddle attachment.  Beat on low-speed until mixture is completely cooled.  Increase speed to medium and add butter pieces one at a time.  Scrape the bowl and continue to beat until buttercream is glossy, smooth and thick.  It may separate at first, but continue beating and it will emulsify.  Add lemon extract and beat until combined.  Use immediately.

I use a 1M Wilton tip for icing swirls.

Wild Blueberry and Lemon Preserves

I love the whole exercise of preserving things even though it seems so old-fashioned.  Fresh summer fruit, preserved in all of its sweetness.  It’s taking the beauty of a gardens harvest and ‘putting it up’ at the peak of freshness.  And the process is so simple.

I use preserves for a lot of things.  Raspberry preserves (here) on a sponge cake, in cobblers, pies and of course as a filling for cupcakes (these were filled with an amazing pineapple sauce)!  I can use these goodies all year round and nothing banishes the winter blues like spooning some blueberry preserves over your hotcakes.  Lovely.

Today I made some Wild Blueberry and Lemon Preserves.  This recipe takes maybe an hour from start to finish and so worth the time.

I used wild blueberries.  I had a little bit of  fresh picked local berries that I threw in this batch as well.

I do a mixture of 250 ml and 500 ml jars.  When I need just a little, I can open a small jar and it usually gets gobbled up pretty quickly.  If I need to use it for a layer cake or to fill cupcakes I open a bigger jar.  Seems to cut down on waste and my husband is always saying our fridge has more condiments than food in it!

Homemade Wild Blueberry and Lemon Preserves

*adapted from Paula Dean

5 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (thaw frozen berries in the refrigerator the night before)
6 1/2 cups sugar
Zest of two lemons
Juice of two lemons
2  envelops liquid fruit pectin, such as Certo
7 (250 ml) canning jars with lids, washed and full of boiling water

In a large heavy bottomed pot put berries, sugar, juice and zest.  On medium-high heat bring berries to a full boil (stirring frequently).  Add liquid pectin and boil one minute longer.  Remove from heat and skim any foam if necessary.  Ladle into prepared jars and leave 1/4 inch head space.  Place the caps on the jars and process in a canner of boiling water for 15 minutes.

Store in a cool dark place.

Mini Cheesecakes

Today is my sister’s birthday.  The big 30.  Remember here (scroll down to May 23) when I was talking about my big family?  Said sister is the second youngest.  She has just had her first child, my precious little niece.  She has a sweet tooth like me (actually all the sibs do..) and I really enjoyed making these cheesecakes for her.  Just a mini version that she can have when she actually has 5 minutes to enjoy a treat.

Aren’t they pretty?  And so simple.  I did a few raspberry and a few blueberry because they are in season and so fresh and yummy.

I think the next one is funny.  It looks like its tongue is sticking out.  You see that right?  I wouldn’t stick my tongue out at my sis though, she’s too sweet.  I think she’s a great mom and a great person.  She has a big heart.

I hope she has a wonderful day today!  And I hope that nap time is extra long so that she can sit down for a few minutes and enjoy her treats.

*adapted from Annie’s Eats

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar

1/4 cup fresh blueberries and 1/4 cup fresh raspberries
3 tsp sugar

450 gr cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup PLUS 1 Tbsp sugar
Pinch of kosher salt
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350°

1.  Line 1 cupcake pan with liners.

2.  In a small bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar.  Stir together with a fork until well blended and graham crackers are moist.  Press 1 tablespoon of the mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner.  (I used a shot glass to press the crumb mixture down)  Bake 5 minutes.  Transfer to a cooling rack. Reduce oven temperature to 300.°

 3.  Combine the blueberries and 1 1/2 tsp of sugar in a food processor and puree until smooth.  Repeat with the raspberries.  Set aside.

4.  In a medium-sized bowl beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed until smooth.  Blend in the remaining sugar until well incorporated.  Mix in the salt and vanilla.  Finally, beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well and scraping down the bowl after each addition.

5.  Divide cheesecake batter evenly over the crust in each cupcake liner.  Dot a 1/2 teaspoon of the berry puree in a few dots over the cheesecake filling.  Use a toothpick or a skewer to lightly swirl and create a marbled effect.

6.  Bake until the filling is just set, about 20 to 30 minutes.  Transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cool to room temperature.  Transfer to the refrigerator and let chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

Blueberry Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream

I admit, I’ve become a little cupcake obssessed lately.  There are so many flavour combinations to choose from and it’s a perfectly wrapped little treat for someone!  Yum!

Friday is usually our “meeting” day at work and I offered to bring snacks this time.   Since we meet fairly early, I wanted to find something that was deliciously sweet but also could be considered breakfast-y so people would eat it (really, our group of ladies need NO arm twisting!).  How does Blueberry Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream sound?  Let me tell you, delish.  Think blueberry pancakes with pure maple syrup.  The buttercream icing is so fabulous, easily one of my favs.   Who would not want to start the day this way??

First, make my Vanilla Cupcake Recipe and add a 1/2 cup of fresh blueberries to the mix.  Bake as directed.

*this recipe is adapted from Yumology

When the cupcakes came out of the oven, I poked a hole in the center of each one with a toothpick and poured just a few drops of pure maple syrup on top.  I spread it around with the back of a spoon and as the cupcakes were cooling it was absorbed into the cakes.

Frost with Martha Stewarts Maple Buttercream

3 large egg yolks

1 cup pure maple syrup

1 cup cold unsalted butter cut into cubes

1.  In a stand mixer, whisk eggs on high speed for 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, place maple syrup in a small pan and boil over medium heat until syrup reaches 240 degrees (10 minutes).  While mixer is running, slowly pour the hot maple syrup down the side of the bowl into the eggs (do not pour directly on the whisk attachment!).  Continue beating mixture for about 4 minutes or until mixing bowl is warm to the touch.  Add butter, one piece at a time and beat until fluffy (5 minutes).  Use immediately.