Lemon Cupcakes with Graham Cracker Crust and Blackberry Butter-cream Frosting

My sweet hubby loves blackberries, and I love lemon desserts...these cupcakes are a match made in heaven, just like us! :)

Graham cracker crust recipe:

1 1/2 cups graham crackers

1/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

Directions:

Pulse graham crackers in food processor into fine crumbs. Add butter and sugar and pulse until combined.  Place about 2 tsp. of graham cracker mixture into the bottom of cupcake paper lined cupcake tins. Use your fingers or a pastry tamper to press mixture firmly together.  Bake for 5 minutes. Remove and let cool.

Lemon cupcakes:

3 cups cake flour

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup half & half

1/2 cup low-fat milk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

4 large egg whites

Zest of 2 lemons

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.  Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. Combine milk and vanilla in a measuring cup and set aside.  Place butter and sugar in bowl of stand mixer. Cream together for 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add in eggs and egg whites one at a time, beating to fully combine before adding the next one. Add in the flour mixture and milk in five alternating additions, starting and ending with the flour. Mix just to incorporate before adding the next addition.

Fill cupcake papers about 3/4 full with batter. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Cupcakes should be just starting to turn golden on top and a tester inserted in the center should come out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on wire racks.

Blackberry buttercream recipe:

1/2 stick salted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup half & half

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

3-4 cups confectioner’s sugar, plus more as needed to reach desired consistency

1/4 cup blackberry puree, plus more to taste

1/2 cup blackberry puree for filling

(About 18 oz. fresh blackberries, for puree, filling and decoration)

Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter until smooth. Add half & half, vanilla and confectioner’s sugar. Puree blackberries in a food processor and strain out the seeds. Pour 1/4 cup puree into buttercream and mix, you can add more puree to taste. If the puree thins the frosting too much, add more confectioner’s sugar.  To assemble the cupcakes: Cut a small core out of the center of each cupcake. Fill with a spoonful of fresh blackberry puree. (you can also use blackberry jam). Fill a piping bag with the butter-cream and pipe a swirl on top of each cupcake.
Adapted from Caroline's Sweet Cooking with her photo.


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