BLACKBERRY CUPCAKES

As I approached the last few days of working at the lab I was in over the summer, I wanted to make something to thank them for all of their teaching, encouragement, and, most importantly, trust in me. I was able to gain a lot of new experiences and do a lot of interesting techniques first-hand despite the short time that I was there. During my trip to New York over one of the summer weekends, I was inspired by the flavor profile of the cronut (that we waited 3.5 hours in line for) that month from Dominque Ansel Bakery. The blackberry ganache on the cronut was sprinkled with lime sugar, and these two elements worked amazingly well together. The flavors lingered on my mind, so this cupcake was the product of that. Thanks Mr. Ansel!

The blackberry whipped cream took some trial and error. I used the usual measurements for whipped cream, except with more sugar to counter the tartness of the blackberries. I used about a cup of blackberries, but this can be adjusted according to the flavor and color that you want.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Blackberry Whipped Cream and Candied Lime

From/adapted from Joy the Baker and Mario Batali

Makes 24 cupcakes

For vanilla cupcakes

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 ¾ cup granulated sugar

4 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

½ vanilla bean, seeds scraped out

2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

For blackberry whipped cream

2 cups heavy cream

2 tsp vanilla extract

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 cup blackberries

For candied lime

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup water

1 lime, zest cut in ½-inch strips

Superfine sugar, for sprinkling

To make cupcakes: Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two cupcake pans with paper liners and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together milk, vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds.  Set aside. In a stand mixer, fit with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  This may take 3 to 5 minutes.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is well incorporated. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition.  If the batter begins to looks a bit curdled, that’s alright. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the vanilla milk mixture in three batches, starting and ending with the flour.  When the batter is almost combined, stop the mixer and finish mixing the batter with a spatula, making sure that any flour bits at the bottom of the bowl are well incorporated. Divide into the lined cupcake pan and bake for 25 minutes or until golden and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely before frosting.

To make blackberry whipped cream: Muddle blackberries in a bowl and get as much juice as possible. To catch most seeds and pulp, strain the mix through a sieve into another bowl and set the liquid aside. Add heavy cream, vanilla, and sugar together and whip until soft peaks form. Pour liquid into cream and continue to whip until fully incorporated.

To make candied lime: In a 2-quart saucepan, combine the sugar and water and bring to a boil, making sure all sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. In a large saucepan, combine the zest and enough cold water to cover and bring to a boil. Remove the zest, rinse with cold water and repeat the process 2 more time. Place the blanched zest in a saucepan and pour the syrup over the zest, adding an extra inch to cover the zest. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until the zest is translucent and tender. Remove from heat and cool. Drain the syrup and lay the zest out on a cooling rack. Toss in sugar and store in an airtight container.

To assemble: Top each cupcake with blackberry whipped cream, a blackberry, and a couple pieces of candied lime.