Once upon a time, I made a batch of Blueberry Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting, and then ate them all. Okay, maybe not all. My husband and toddler were also involved in the mass cupcake consumption in our home. Every last crumb was gone. Because these cupcakes were deliciously soft, moist and comprised of little bursts of blueberry sweetness. May they reside in cupcake heaven happily ever after. Okay that sounds weird, maybe it's the sugar overload talking in me?
But there's also one more reason that I'm so excited and so in love with today's recipe: It's my first post as part of Yum of the Month which is a new monthly challenge I'm participating in. The Yum of the Month is a monthly recipe challenge that I've teamed up to do with four fabulous food bloggers.
The way this recipe challenge works is that each month a member decides on a theme for the month, and all of the members have to make a recipe around that theme. This month's theme (the very first one!) was fresh fruit.
My Other Recipes
And that's how these Blueberry Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting were born. I actually thought of making blueberry muffins, but then I decided I wanted to make a recipe that was pretty and delicate, so came in the cupcakes.
Sorry, muffins, you're totally delicious but cupcakes are prettier and more photogenic. 😉
Since this is the first post of Yum of the Month, I'd like to introduce you to my fellow bloggers taking part in this yummy monthly challenge:
Shadi blogs at Unicorns in the Kitchen and her cooking expertise ranges from mouthwatering Persian recipes and contemporary desserts such as delectable molten lava cakes.
Amy blogs at Accidental Happy Baker, and has fabulous recipes and gorgeous photos.
Michelle is brilliant at coming up with mouthwatering desserts such as Nutella Stuffed Shakoy (Twisted Donuts). Omg, yum! She blogs at Giraffes Can Bake.
Samantha blogs at Sugar Spun Run and makes the most beautiful not to mention delicious treats!
So before you go on to read the recipe, I want to confess something. I'm a cheater. There, I said it. No, not that kind of cheater. 😉 But I sort of used a short cut in this recipe. I used cake mix.
Now, normally I'm all about baking from scratch like these Ooey Gooey Nutella Cookies and Golden Oreo Salted Caramel Mini Cheesecakes. But, sometimes, I like to cheat a bit and use cake mix. However, it's not just cake mix that I used, I added a few ingredients to make it even more delicious!
Here are a few handy tips to keep in mind while making these Blueberry Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:
1.) Only use the ingredients I've listed in the recipe card. Please do not add the ingredients that are on the back of the box mix.
2.) The yogurt and buttermilk help to make the cupcakes very moist and also give them a slight tang. It's very easy to make buttermilk at home: 1 cup milk + 1 to 2 tablespoons of white vinegar. Stir and wait for 1-2 minutes. When the milk appears curdled, your buttermilk is ready to be used.
3.) For the cream cheese frosting, I used Philadelphia cream cheese which comes in blocks. Don't use a cream cheese spread because it will thin out the frosting.
4.) The butter for the cream cheese frosting should be at room temperature. If it's too cold or almost melted the frosting will not whip properly. I like to take out the butter from the fridge about thirty minutes before I start baking so that it's at room temperature when I need to use it.
So I hope you enjoy these Blueberry Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting, and hope that they reminds you of spring, butterflies and blooming flowers.
Don't forget to check out the rest of my fellow Yum of the Month members' recipes right below the recipe.
Enjoy! 🙂
Yum of the Month Contributions
Baked French Toast with Berry Compote by Shadi at Unicorns in the Kitchen
Lemon Blueberry Tarts by Samantha at Sugar Spun Run
Strawberry Cheesecake Upside Down Bundt Cake by Michelle at Giraffes Can Bake
Strawberry Nutella Tart by Amy at Accidental Happy Baker
Blueberry Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix you can even use white cake mix, but this is what I had on hand
- 3 eggs
- 1/3 cup oil
- 3/4 cup full fat yogurt
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 1/2 cups blueberries fresh or frozen
- Lemon Buttercream:
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1 package 8 ounce cream cheese
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- Extra blueberries for garnishing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F (176 C) and line pans with cupcakes liners.
- For the Cupcakes
- Place the cake mix into a medium bowl and set aside.
- In another bowl combine the eggs, oil, yogurt and buttermilk. Using a hand mixer beat until fully incorporated.
- Add the cake mix and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Gently fold in the blueberries by hand.
- Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let cool completely at room temperature.
- For the Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth.
- Add in lemon juice.
- Add the icing sugar a little at a time and beat until you reach the desired consistency.
- Pipe onto cooled cupcakes and top with fresh berries.
Can anything be used instead of yogurt? My husband is allergic to it.
Why can't I even find the recipe all I see is the story and tip no recipe
Ever attempted these as mini cupcakes instead of full size?
Hi Allison, no I haven't made these as mini cupcakes but I think it should be fine, just keep in mind that the baking time may be reduced. Hope this helps!
Hi, I was just wondering if this recipe would work as a cake rather than cupcakes?
Yes, it absolutely would! I would bake it in a 9 by 13 baking dish though!
If using frozen blueberries, should I use them frozen or thaw and drain before adding?
You can use them frozen. Hope this helps!
I cant find the recipe for these blueberry lemon frosting cupcakes
Hi Bonnie, the recipe card is at the bottom of the post. Please let me know if you still have trouble finding the recipe...thanks! 🙂
What is iceing sugar?
Hi Susie, icing sugar is confectioner's sugar or powdered sugar. Hope this helps 🙂
Could you substitute Greek yogurt instead of regular yogurt?
Yes, absolutely! 🙂
I made this yesterday and my whole family lovessss them! My icing didn't set like it should have, it was runny, it didn't run completely down the sides but it was no where near firm enough to pipe. Any ideas as to what I could of done wrong?
I'm also thinking about adding some lemon zest to the batter next time to give it a little extra lemon flavor!
Hi Elizabeth! Thank you so much for your feedback...so glad your family loved them! There are a couple of reasons that may have caused the icing to be runny:
1.) The butter was maybe too softened? Was it on the runny side? It should be just room temperature.
2.) What kind of cheese cream did you use? I use Philadelphia cream cheese, the kind that comes in block. Not the kind that is spreadable and used for breakfast. If you used cream cheese spread that might have caused the icing to be runny.
3.) Did you try adding more icing sugar to the frosting? That usually helps in setting up the frosting to become thicker.
Hope this helps! And I think adding lemon zest to the batter is a great idea 🙂
Should the last ingredient say "3 cups powdered sugar"?
Hi AJ, thanks for pointing out the typo...it's 3 cups of powdered sugar...I've corrected it in the recipe too! 🙂
I love love LOVE blueberry muffins, but you are blowing my mind here with Blueberry CUPCAKES! These look stunning, and I adore that lemon cream cheese frosting! 🙂
Thank you Sam! 🙂
These cupcakes are dream! If we lived near each other, I would beg you to make some every day 😀
Thanks Shadi, for you I would cook everyday if I could! 😀
I love that you put yogurt in these cupcakes! Baking with yogurt makes things so moist. These cupcakes look absolutely divine!
Thank you Amy! These really are soft and moist thanks to the addition of yogurt 🙂
You mention buttermilk under the ingredients but never use it- but I this hitter gets used twice in the recipe.... I didn't realize this until I am halfway through. Uh oh. Help?
Hi Kelly! I'm so sorry it was a typo, you were supposed to add the buttermilk with all the other wet ingredients. I've updated the recipe now. Many apologies for this!
These look soooooooo yummy, I can see why they disappeared so quickly - they wouldn't stand a chance in my house either!
And you can totally be forgiven for using a cake mix before with all those other yummifying (totally a word) ingredients they sound perfect - epsecially with all those juicy blueberries throughout.
I had a very bad experience the last time I baked with blueberries (I don't know what was wrong with them but the blueberries were DISGUSTING, I literally spat out the bite of muffin they were that bad) so I think I need to try these to cleanse my blueberry palate!