Smoothie Cupcakes

Normally you won't find me trying to cook with berries in the middle of winter, but when I was commissioned to do a "Lalaloopsy" birthday party at the end of the month, berries were the only way I could think of to make a colorful and whimsical cupcake for a bunch of 4 year olds. So here it is, and I have to admit, I love it.

 Smoothie Cupcakes

18-20 cupcakes 350 20 minutes

1 stick of butter (room temperature)

4 eggs (room temperature)

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup milk

1/2 vanilla bean

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup chopped blueberries

Cream butter and sugar together about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time mixing between each.

In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients

Measure out milk. Add your vanilla extract and bean. 

With a sharp knife slice open the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds.

Alternate adding dry and wet ingredients to your butter sugar egg mixture. Mix in between each. Last add the blueberries and mix. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 of the way to the top.

Berry filling

1 cup of organic pure berry juice with no sugar added. 

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup heavy whipping cream

In a sauce pan, heat juice on medium heat until it comes to a boil. Add sugar and stir. Continue to boil about 10 minutes or until it looks like all bubbles. This means it's thickened.

Set juice aside to cool in a heat proof measuring cup. You should have about 1/4 of a cup.

Add to whipping cream and mix until stiff

Fill your cupcakes by cutting a small hole on the top with a sharp knife, 

Use the knife to core out some of the cake in the middle. Slice cake off the bottom of the "lid"

Add filling and replace lid.










Two Toned Grape and Vanilla Frosting
1 cup unsweetened organic grape juice
2 packs philly cream cheese softened
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 cups powdered sugar
2 sticks softened butter

In sauce pan boil grape juice and let it continue to boil for about 10 minutes. set aside to cool

In a bowl add one stick of butter and one package of cream cheese. Blend together. Add four cups of powdered sugar mixing between each, add vanilla mix.
Set aside

In a separate bowl mix the other stick of butter with the other package of cream cheese. Add grape syrup and 4 cups of powdered sugar one at a time mixing between each.





To get the two toned look I use a 1M frosting tip (you can get them at the craft store for about a buck)
and fill one side of my baking bag with the vanilla frosting and the other side with the grape. Pipe starting on the outside and work your way in.