Sweet & Zesty Blackberry Lime Cupcakes

Why, hello again! Eh-Ehm, did you get a look at these sweet and zesty blackberry lime cupcakes?  Well then, you can guess what I did! Yup, I knocked out some more Pins…aaaaand I got to do it with the cutest little helper any mama could dream of (bias, maybe, but definitely true)! These blackberry lime cupcakes are my very first attempt at making cake batter from scratch, and it was a total hit.

So, I’ve pinned a few of these super yummy blackberry lime cupcake recipes, and now that I’m all done with Whole30, the timing was perfect. (Side note, I do plan on keeping up with most of Whole30 but not if I’m making these cupcakes) I have to tell you, they were delicious, perfectly moist and sweet with just the right amount of tart. Of course, as you know, any recipe or craft I do has to be simple enough to make between loads of laundry and entertaining the little giggles in my home. These cupcakes fit the bill while also making me look like I was a super mom who spent all my free time baking away just to see the appreciation on those smiling faces.

OK, let’s get to it. We started with a simple sugar and blackberry compote:

• 1-1/2 cups of blackberries
• 3 Tablespoons sugar
• Juice & zest of 1/2 lime

Next, combine the ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves and the mixture becomes thicker. Now set aside and let cool.

Next up we made a basic cake recipe that most of the pins called for. This is the combination of recipes I settled on:

• 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) of unsalted butter-room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• zest of 1 lime
• 1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs-room temperature
• 1/2 cup buttermilk-room temperature

First, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Then, blend all the dry ingredients and set aside–now, in a separate bowl cream the butter and sugar until fluffy–next, add the zest and vanilla then mix–then, add the eggs one at time–last, alternate adding dry mix then buttermilk (be sure to begin and end with dry mix)

Then while the cupcakes were baking, we mixed up a simple and easy lime frosting:

• 2 sticks (1 cup) of unsalted butter-room temperature
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• Zest of 1 lime
• 1 Tablespoon lime juice
• 1 Tablespoon heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Using your mixer with the paddle attachment, blend all the ingredients until well combined.

Helpful tips:

• I used cupcakes liners because, well, it makes for an easier cleanup-no brainer.
• I piped the frosting on, and when filling the tube/bag I alternated frosting and compote to create a swirl effect.
• If you’re not that into super sweet frosting, you may want to start with a smaller amount of powdered sugar for the frosting.
• I simply spooned the compote over the frosting, but you could certainly make a thicker compote with cornstarch and pipe it into the middle of the cupcake, then add frosting over top.

More than being super yummy, I loved sharing this time with Autumn. Sure she mostly wanted to lick spoons and bowls, but the more we’ve baked together, the more she’s learning math, coordination, and even the smell of spices!  A few sticky fingers is well worth the time we spend together. Now get in the kitchen with the kids and start baking up some memories! (was that a totally lame mom comment, or what!?) But really…get going!

By the way, head over to my Pinterest page to check out more recipes like this one. And as always you can check out my Insta-stories on the  weekends to see what Pinterest project I’m tackling next.