Lemon Basil Blueberry Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes for the first time tonight and they were definitely a crowd pleaser! This recipe allowed me to experiment with many new techniques and ideas. To start, I have never baked with basil before. I love to put it on top of my homemade pizzas, but I have never put it in a cupcake. We are growing fresh basil this summer and after seeing basil used on the TV show Cupcake Wars, I decided to give baking with basil a try! I am proud to say it was a huge success. The basil was not overpowering and it paired nicely with the fresh lemon flavor and sweet blueberries. This is definitely going to be a new summertime favorite of mine (and my friends)! The basil blueberry filling was easy and delicious. I learned how to make candied lemon garnish. The cupcakes looked beautiful - Enjoy!

LEMON CUPCAKES
6 tbsp butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 lemons (zest and juice)
1 1/3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup yogurt (You can experiment with whatever flavors you have in your refrigerator, I used toasted coconut vanilla light yogurt!)

This is the filling before it is cooked.

BLUEBERRY BASIL FILLING
2/3 cup blueberries
2 tbsp water
1 tsp lemon juice
3 tbsp sugar
12 basil leaves (finely chopped)

LEMON BASIL BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
4 cups powdered sugar
3 tbsp water
1.5 lemons juiced
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 tbsp finely chopped basil

This is the cupcakes with half the batter and the filling.

BLUEBERRY REDUCTION DRIZZLE
2/3 cup blueberry
4 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp water
1/2 lemon juiced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

This is what the finished filling should look like.

Combine the butter and sugar for the cupcakes and beat until fluffy. Add the 2 eggs. Add the zest and juice from 2 lemons. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the yogurt.

Put all of the ingredients for the filling in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and frequently stir. The filling is done once it darkens in color, the blueberries have started to decompose, and the mixture starts to thicken. Put the filling in a bowl and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes or just until it is cool and thickens slightly.

Use a melon baller and put one scoop of batter in each cupcake liner. This will be about 1/4 full. Add a spoonful of filling on the top of each cupcake. Use the remaining batter to put on top of the filling. Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes.

Make sure the butter for the frosting is room temperature. Combine all of the frosting ingredients, gradually adding the powdered sugar and the finely chopped basil last.

Make the blueberry reduction sauce using the same technique that was used to make the filling.

When the cupcakes are cool, cover with frosting, drizzle the blueberry reduction, and place a fresh blueberry and candied lemon pieces on top as garnish.


Makes 12 cupcakes.


The lemon cake and blueberry basil filling was adapted from A GOOD APPETITE blog.