Step into Spring cupcakes

I really like making cupcakes. You can create so many variations and they are super easy to eat, especially in a work environment. We had organised a little morning tea for the team at work today and so I decided to make some carrot cupcakes (same recipe as previous post, but in cupcake form) and well as another flavour to give a bit of flavour options. At the supermarket yesterday I was really excited to see blueberries on special for $3.50 a punnet. As they are usually up around $6 each, I jumped at the discounted price and bought some. 

I don't often buy blueberries. I find that if they are not in season, even just by a few weeks, it is more common to get sour or tart berries. The perfect blueberry should be a little sweet, smooth and have a lovely burst of juice as you bit it between your teeth. This is also what I wanted from my cupcakes. Using my normal vanilla cupcake recipes and only adding blueberries and some lemon rind, these were delicious! As we're coming into Spring, definitely give these a go!

Blueberry and Lemon Cupcakes
240g plain flour
3 tsp baking powder
280g caster sugar
pinch salt
80g butter
240ml milk
2 tsps vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 punnet blueberries
1 x lemon

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius. In a bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and butter with an electric beater until it resembles a sandy consistency. Slowly beat in half the milk until the mix just comes together. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the remaining milk, egg and vanilla. Add to the flour mix and beat until smooth. Grate the rind of one lemon into the mixture and add the blueberries, then fold through. Be careful not to overbeat!! Spoon mixture into cupcake cases and bake for about 20 minutes. When ready, remove from oven and allow to cool completely, then prepare the icing.

Cream Cheese Icing
250g cream cheese
50mL thickened cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
Extra blueberries 

Beat together the cream cheese, thickened cream and vanilla extract until smooth. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag and ice each cupcake. Top with a single blueberry. Enjoy!