Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes

Blueberries. One of my favorites. Lemons. One of my other favorites (I have a lot of favorites). Put them together and you have a very happy me. So when my friend and right-hand gal suggested I make Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes for this weekends cupcake table it was a no-brainer. Yes, please!

After a few searches of Foodgawker (What? You don't know what Foodgawker is? Oh the horror!! Go. Now. Foodgawker.com. You can thank me later.) I found what I was looking for. Simple. Small batch. Perfect.

I even broke into my precious stash of frozen blueberries that I picked this summer to make these! If you ever have an opportunity to pick blueberries, do it! The taste is unlike anything you will ever find at the grocery store. And they are one of the easiest fruits to freeze! You don't even wash them! Just bag and freeze for use all winter. Rinse them off before you use them and THAT'S IT! Presto, a little summer on your cereal in November...or in your muffins in March....you get the idea.

Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
Source: The Dainty Chef

3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour, divided
3/4 cup cake flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
8 tbsp. (one stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. lemon juice (fresh squeezed please!)
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. milk, at room temperature
1 cup fresh blueberries (I used frozen, thawed for a few minutes at room temperature)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the 3/4 cup all- purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder and salt; whisk together, set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the butter, sugar and lemon zest. Beat together on medium high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 - 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and lemon juice.

With mixer on low speed, mix in half of the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Blend in the milk. Mix in the remaining dry ingredients, beating just until incorporated.

In a small bowl toss the blueberries with the remaining 2 tbsp. of flour. Gently fold into batter. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared liners, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 5 mins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frost as desired or simply sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve!

Enjoy! And be sure to fill me in if you try these!