These blueberry cupcakes are, without any competition, the prettiest naturally coloured cupcakes I have ever baked. And who would have thought that getting colours like this doesn't take a single drop of food colouring! A violet sponge, extra moist and light, with a richly pink frosting – a total fiesta of colour and looks that will surprise even the fussiest.
The most important ingredient in these cupcakes is freeze-dried blueberries – they are what gives such a fantastic colour to both the batter and the frosting. I really recommend not skipping the lemon zest either – such a small detail, and yet it changes so much! The notes of berry and citrus bring freshness and a feeling of summer. In short, a fantastic summery bake!
When baking cupcakes, let all the ingredients from the fridge come up to room temperature. That is the only way to get a smooth, ungrainy batter. It is also important not to overmix – as soon as the ingredients come together, stop mixing, so you don't ruin the texture of the cupcake.
For the frosting you can use whatever ingredients you like – swap the cream cheese frosting for mascarpone with whipped cream, the icing sugar for condensed milk and so on. A white chocolate ganache works beautifully too. As in the batter, the freeze-dried berries play first violin here, so there is no substituting them – and no need to!
This recipe makes 12 cosmically coloured cupcakes that peel perfectly off the paper, moist and fluffy.
