Vanilla and Blueberry Swirl Cupcakes

I know it's been a while since I've published a post but it's been a long old couple of weeks. To sum it up:

• I've been baking (Duh). The recipe for vanilla and blueberry swirl cupcakes is below, of course. 
• Visiting my lovely friend Lauren for coffee and Japanese food. (After a coffee we had a mini dessert. It was so freaking adorable) 

  

  How cute is this? Little chocolate fudge cake with a cappuccino 

• Working at my amazing job with my crazy colleagues. We're starting our own inside jokes, which means I'm making progress-work wise.
• My boyfriend came over for a flying weekend visit. In fact, I managed to purchase a mortar board made out of chocolate! How epic cool is that?! He graduated about 2 weeks ago and I thought what better way to show my love than in chocolate form?  
  
  
  
  
  

He did share a little with me, but it didn't last very long. It lasted about 20 minutes. Yes it's been a wild couple of days. So lets get right down to these cupcakes:

These cupcakes are made with whole blueberries baked into the cupcake. It has a muffin-like texture, but the sweetness of the buttercream brings it back to its cupcake form. Also worth noting that the buttercream is made with blueberry juice. Not extract, not flavouring but the real blueberry juice. The good stuff. (Well as good as it gets in a cupcake form) Sometimes it's best to use the natural stuff. 

Makes 12 Cupcakes-For the cake you will need: Recipe adapted from Cupcake Heaven Magazine

·        225g plain flour

·        2 tsp baking powder

·        110g caster sugar

·        2 eggs

·        110ml sunflower oil

·        225ml milk

·        70g blueberries

For the Buttercream you will need:

·        55g unsalted butter

·        110ml double cream

·        ½ tsp vanilla extract

·        350g icing sugar

·        55g blueberries

·        Blue sugar to decorate

1.     Preheat oven to Gas Mark 6/200c/400f, and line 12 paper cases into the muffin tin. Sift the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar.

2.     Whisk together the eggs and oil in a separate bowl until frothy, slowly whisk in the milk. Stir in the dry ingredients until just combined. Gently stir in blueberries.

3.     Spoon the mixture into papercases and bake for 20 minutes until risen and springy. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then place on a wire rack to cool.

4.     To make the frosting, beat the butter, then beat in the cream and vanilla with a wooden spoon. Sift the icing sugar and beat again. Put half of the frosting into another bowl.

5.     Press the blueberries into through a sieve to extract the juice.

6.     Add a little of the blueberry juice into half of the icing sugar. Only a little as the frosting can go sloppy.

7.     Spoon the two buttercreams into the fitted piping bag. Pipe a swirl onto each cupcake and decorate with coloured sugar. 

Have a great Bank Holiday weekend! Also don't forget it's Bake it Yourself Day on Monday!