Blackberries bring back the most amazing memories for me of blackberry picking with the children in Wales and yet when I took Bethan up the garden to pick some last week she said she couldn’t remember our blackberry picking adventures.
I then realised she would have been tiny when we used to go, so this moment was even more special. We chatted as we picked these edible delights and she proudly counted how many she picked. (She did compliment me on how quick I can pick them but I have had many more years experience than she has!)
I decided this year I’d revamp a recipe I love and share with you my new version. I am convinced you will love them as much as the staff at the local Doctors Surgery where I shared them last Monday, so here goes…
Blackberry Buttermilk Cupcakes
Equipment
- 12 hole cupcake tin & cupcake cases
Ingredients
- 125 g unsalted softened butter
- 175 g caster sugar
- 200 g self raising flour
- 150 g Fresh blackberries
- 2 medium free range eggs, at room temperature
- 85 ml whole milk
- 15 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 160 degrees fan oven, gas mark 3
- Add the milk and lemon juice to a jug and stir. Set aside for 5 minutes for it to thicken – it will look like its curdled.(This is how you make your own version of buttermilk which gives the cupcakes a light and fluffy texture.
- Add the butter and caster sugar into a mixing bowl and beat until pale and fluffy, making sure you scrape down the bowl as you want it fully mixed.
- Break the eggs into a jug and mix with a fork to combine. Gradually beat the egg into the butter and sugar mixture, keep adding until you have used it all and everything is thoroughly combined.
- Add the vanilla to the mixture and combine.
- Sieve the flour into a separate bowl to remove any lumps.
- Add half of the homemade buttermilk into the main mixture and gently fold this in with a spatula (the folding method is round the outside of the bowl and through the middle). When this is combined add half of the flour to the mixture and again gently fold this in. Repeat this until you have used all of the buttermilk and flour.
- Add the blackberries and stir gently to just combine, try not to overmix as they will break. Using either a large ice cream scoop or dessert spoon fill the cupcake cases two-thirds full, ensuring they are equally filled to help them all bake evenly.
- Bake in the oven for around 22 minutes (the baking time relies mainly on your oven so the best way to see if they are cooked is to put a cake tester or cocktail stick into the middle of the cupcake, if it comes out clean its ready, if there's mixture showing bake for another 2 minutes and test again. We are looking for the cake tester to be clean.
- When they are baked transfer to a wire rack to cool. Then tuck in and enjoy.
