Moist and Fluffy Blueberry Cupcakes (Not Muffins!)
This fluffy Blueberry Cupcakes recipe yields a batch of soft and moist cupcakes and not muffins! They are super light like a good cupcake should be and are stuffed with fresh juicy blueberries. The cupcakes are topped with a delicious blueberry frosting. They are perfect for brunch or to bring to any party!
Why should muffins get all the blueberry love?
I know its definitely not as popular but today we are making blueberry cupcakes-think of these like your favorite blueberry muffin recipe’s bougie cousin.
The base of this cupcake recipe is a moist and fluffy vanilla cupcake with fresh blueberries folded into the batter before baking. Make sure you use a spatula when you fold them in, otherwise you run the risk of breaking up all the berries and turning your batter a weird gray color.
For the frosting (bc we love frosting around here) I topped them with a delicious blueberry frosting that’s made with freeze dried blueberries. Fresh berries wouldnt give off the same bright flavor or color, and would make the frosting actually look really dull and watery.
Instead we have this intense purple color that is so strikingly beautiful, it’s reason enough to make these.
But also, since sweet-tart blueberries and sharp, zesty lemon are a WINNING combination of flavors, you can also frost these cupcakes with this lemon buttercream frosting or lemon cream cheese frosting.
What you need
Making the cupcakes
Prepare for baking: Start by preheating your oven to 350F and lining a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners.
Whisk dry ingredients: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, & salt, and whisk to combine.
Cool, frost, and serve: Let the cupcakes cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes, then carefully remove the lined cupcakes and place them on a wire rack to finish cooling.
Decorating
To decorate, choose your frosting of choice and using piping bags and a star tip pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. Top with a garnish like crushed freeze dried blueberries, lemon zest or lemon slices.
TIPS FOR RECIPE SUCCESS
- Work with room temperature ingredients – If you forget to take out your butter, learn how to soften butter quickly.
- Measure the flour precisely – When measuring flour, do not pack it into the cup. Instead, spoon the flour into your dry measuring cup and level it off. Otherwise you can use too much flour and make a dense cupcake.
- The muffin tin color matters – Use a light-colored muffin tin for best results. This helps distribute the heat evenly.
- Do not overfill the cupcake liners – If there’s too much batter, it will spill off the sides of the cup. I like using an ice cream scoop to divide the batter, so the cupcakes are the same size and bake at the same rate.
Moist and Fluffy Blueberry Cupcakes (Not Muffins!)
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup all purpose flour, 207g + 1 tablespoon separated
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, (113g) softened to room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar, (200g)
- 1 egg, (50g)
- 2 egg white, (70g)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup buttermilk, at room temperature (118mL)
- 6 oz fresh blueberries, washed and dried well (small container)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners.
- In a medium size bowl combine the 1 ¾ cup flour, 1 tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp baking soda, and ¼ tsp kosher salt. Whisk until combined.
- In the bowl of a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream the ½ cup butter for 1 minute on medium speed. Scrape down the bowl and add 1 cup sugar. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Scrape down the bowl and add the egg, 2 egg whites and 2 tsp vanilla extract. Mix for 1 minute on medium speed.
- Add in 1/3rd of the dry ingredients, then half of the buttermilk and alternate, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix only until combined. Do not over mix.
- Dust the blueberries with the remaining tablespoon of flour and fold into the batter with a spatula.
- Using a 3 tbsp cookie scoop, scoop the batter into the muffin liners ¾ of the way full.
- Bake for 21-22 minutes or until the cake is set. Cool completely on a wire rack.
- Frost the cupcakes with blueberry frosting.
This was AMAZING! I rarely comment on recipes, but THIS recipe deserves it. I used a lemon cream cheese frosting and the flavors were amazing. Thank you!
Aww YAY! Thank you so much Melissa!!! So appreciate you coming back to review!! Enjoy every bite!
Curious if you’ve made these in a gluten-free version?
I havent, but I think it would work with 1:1 l gluten free flour
Can you make this ahead of time? If so, what is the best way to store? Thanks!
Hi there – yes definitely! I recommend keeping them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days or they will last in the fridge for one week.
You can also freeze them (unfrosted) for up to two months. I use a freezer safe bag to freeze mine and then when I want one thaw it out overnight in the fridge.
My 4 yr old Granddaughter wanted blueberry cupcakes for her Cinderella themed birthday party. Together we made them and I carefully followed the recipe. The cupcakes were tasty/good, but had more of a muffin density – not cake like. Making them together was a great experience for her and a wonderful memory for both of us!
Hi Valerie! Thanks so much for making these, that sounds like so much fun! If they were more dense then there could have been too much flour in the recipe or they were over mixed. So happy you guys had so much fun though, definitely a core memory for her. Thank you so much for choosing my recipe for such a special time!