Perfectly moist and fluffy blackberry cupcakes topped with the silkiest melt-in-your-mouth blackberry Swiss meringue buttercream!
Blackberry season is about to come to an end, and I don’t think I’m quite ready for it just yet. The past few weeks, I’ve been picking blackberries like crazy around my house because they seem to be more prolific this year. There’s also just something so incredibly tranquil about picking berries right after the sun has set and you’re left with the sound of a nice subtle breeze. It’s times like these that make me dread the end of summer. However, the basic biotch in me can’t help but be ecstatic for fall!
But before we get too ahead of ourselves with this talk of fall, allow me to introduce you to these blackberry beauties…
These Blackberry Cupcakes are absolutely BRIMMING with blackberry flavor! With a moist and fluffy base of blackberry cake and a silky smooth blackberry Swiss meringue buttercream, these cupcakes have DOUBLE the dose of blackberry deliciousness in every single bite.
And I swear I’m not just patting myself on the back when I say this, but can we just appreciate how incredibly photogenic these cupcakes are? It must be the gorgeous ruffles of buttercream. Or maybe it’s the perfectly plump blackberry on top! Whatever it is, these cupcakes are sure to impress the guests at your next gathering.
With how incredibly indecisive I am, it took me a while to decide on how I wanted to make these cupcakes. Did I want to do a blackberry cupcake with vanilla buttercream? A vanilla cupcake with blackberry buttercream? Or maybe a blackberry cupcake with raspberry buttercream? Ultimately, I decided on a blackberry cupcake with blackberry buttercream. Needless to say, I’m pretty satisfied with my decision.
To infuse these cupcakes with that wonderful blackberry sweetness, I used seedless blackberry preserves/jam. You’ll want to make sure that it’s seedless so that you don’t end up with tons of seeds in your teeth—no bueno! If your jam does have seeds, however, just press the jam through a fine mesh sieve and discard the seeds.
Although butter offers the best flavor when it comes to fats, I prefer to use vegetable oil. Not only does oil give cupcakes a more pillowy bounce, but it keeps them extra moist. I also add a good amount of sour cream for both richness and that perfectly moist crumb.
Along with the essentials like flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, egg, and vanilla, I added a little bit of almond extract. It really amplifies the flavor of any berry, which is why it’s become a staple in my pantry.
To top these cupcakes off, I went with a silky smooth Swiss meringue buttercream. Not only is it much silkier in texture compared to your traditional American buttercream, but it’s not super duper sweet. In fact, Swiss meringue buttercream contains about a quarter of the amount of sugar called for in American buttercream. There’s definitely a little more work involved (just a little!), but I promise you, you will NOT be disappointed!
To make the buttercream, start by making your blackberry syrup. Place some blackberries and sugar in a saucepan and stir over medium heat until the juices release and the berries have mostly broken down. Transfer the cooked berries to a food processor and purée. Pour the berry juice through a fine mesh sieve into another bowl, pushing as much juice out of the berry pulp as possible. Allow this syrup to cool completely.
Now it’s time to work on the base of the Swiss meringue buttercream. First, separate a few eggs, then place the egg whites into a heat-safe bowl. Add some sugar to the whites, and stir this mixture over some gently simmering water until the sugar has dissolved completely. Transfer this syrup mixture to another bowl, placing it in the freezer to cool to room temperature.
As the syrup cools off, whip some butter up in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until it’s light and fluffy. This should take about 3-4 minutes. Then, with the mixer on low, slowly stream the cooled syrup into your butter. Once all of the syrup is incorporated into the butter, add the blackberry syrup and a pinch of salt. Beat everything together until satiny smooth and unbelievably creamy!
Oh, and just an FYI, I didn’t use all of the blackberry syrup. I ended up adding a half cup total, but you can add as much or as little of the syrup as you want. Also, if for some reason your buttercream looks curdled, don’t worry! There IS a fix for this! Just remove a couple of tablespoons of the curdled frosting and place it into a small microwaveable bowl. Heat it in the microwave until it’s completely melted, then add it back into the mixing bowl. Turn the mixer on, and beat everything until it’s smooth. If it still looks curdled, just keep repeating this reheating technique a tablespoon at a time until the mixture comes together. Trust me, it eventually will!
Once you’ve piped the frosting on top of the cupcakes, finish each one off with a deliciously plump blackberry–the bigger the blackberry, the better! Because if you ask me, there really is no such thing as too much blackberry…
Blackberry Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup milk
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup seedless blackberry preserves/jam
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ⅛ teaspoon almond extract
Blackberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- 1 ½ cup blackberries fresh or frozen
- 5 egg whites room temperature
- 1 ½ cup granulated sugar, divided
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cup 3 sticks unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- Blackberries for topping
Instructions
Make the Cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF, and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar together until well blended. Add the milk, sour cream, oil, jam, egg, vanilla, and almond extract and stir until just combined.
- Pour batter into cupcake liners, filling 2/3 of the way. Bake in the oven for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Buttercream:
- Place the blackberries and 1/4 cup of the sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until juices release and berries have mostly broken down. Transfer berries to a food processor and purée. Pour berry juice through a fine-mesh sieve into another bowl, pushing as much juice out of the berry pulp as possible. Chill berry juice in the freezer to cool completely.
- In a heat-safe bowl, whisk the egg whites, the remaining 1 and 1/4 cup sugar, and salt together. Place bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure that the bowl is not touching the water. Whisk until warm and sugar is dissolved, about 2-3 minutes. Mixture should feel completely smooth with no graininess when a bit is rubbed between two fingers. Remove from heat and chill in the freezer for 15-20 minutes, or until mixture is cool.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on high until fluffy and lightened in color. Add about half of the cooled syrup and beat for one minute. Add the last half and continue beating until mixture is thick, yet fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the blackberry juice*, vanilla, and almond extract, and beat until smooth and fully incorporated.**
- Frost or pipe buttercream onto cooled cupcakes. Top each cupcake with a fresh blackberry.