Carrie & Martha - Blueberries-and-Cream Cupcakes

Dear Martha Stewart,

I love your new Cupcake Cookbook. I have to admit though that I noticed that only half of the recipes were actual cupcake recipes. The other half were muffins. That’s okay. I forgive you for leading one astray with the misleading name.

In an effort to bake more, I have decided to attempt a Julie & Julia move and begin to bake each of your recipes from both the Cupcake Cookbook and the Cookie Cookbook. I began by making the Blueberry & Cream Muffins.

I followed the recipe to a "t" minus the part where I was on the phone with my mother and I completely forgot to add the 2 tsp. of vanilla to the recipe. Not so good. Also, after I realized that the homemade cream would only last about 3 hours, I chose to just buy some canned whipped cream. I know that’s blasphemy, but I wouldn’t be serving the muffins within three hours.

So, even with the vanilla missing, the muffins turned out quite good. I would think that with the addition of the vanilla, they would even be fabulous. My fresh blueberries were incredibly delicious and fresh, even for being the dead of winter.

Overall, I would give this recipe a big fat A and will definitely make it again, this time with the homemade whipped cream. Mostly because I would be making it as a breakfast muffin and serve it immediately after baking it. The blueberries were so amazing all warm and yummy right out of the oven.

Thanks for being so great, Martha.

Sincerely,

Carrie Ann

Blueberries-and-Cream Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted
• 1 Tbs. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups milk, room temperature
• 2 cups fresh blueberries, plus more for garnish
• Whipped Cream (recipe add end of post)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard or mini muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together both flours, baking powder, and salt.
2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each in incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla.
3. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk, and beating until combined after each. Fold in blueberries by hand.
4. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until pale golden, about 25 minutes for standard and 15 for mini. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature in airtight containers.
5. To finish, dollop cupcakes with whipped cream, and garnish with berries. Serve immediately.

Sorry, I completely forgot to take pictures of these!