Match made in Heaven

There are lots of foods out there that combine well with others and make a truly delicious pairing. Steak and potatoes. Tomatoes and Mozzarella. Bacon and....well....pretty much everything, but let's not get distracted. One pairing that I never tire of is Lemon and Blueberry. So many fruits pair together with good results, but there is something so perfect about matching the bright, sour flavor of lemon with the sweet and lush blueberry. And since I had a tray of blueberries waiting to be used in my fridge, I decided to try an experiment. I took a basic vanilla cupcake recipe, added lemon oil and fresh blueberries and topped them with my favorite lemon cream cheese frosting. The result was delicious and something that I think would be great for a party! The cream cheese frosting recipe is stellar, and could easily become a plain cream cheese frosting by omitting the lemon oil. Just note that this is a perfect frosting recipe for cupcakes or a single layer cake. I learned the hard way years ago that it is far too slippery to hold two or more layers of a cake. Also, with the heat of summer, you will want to store these indoors. Enjoy!

LEMON BLUEBERRY CUPCAKES WITH LEMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

For the Cupcakes

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pure lemon oil

1/2 cup whole milk

6 ounces (one small tray) fresh blueberries

For the Frosting

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

4 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon lemon oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To make the cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line 12 cup muffin tin with paper baking liners. (I usually get a few more than 12 cupcakes, so you can bake the remaining few after).
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; add vanilla and lemon oil, and mix until combined. On low speed, beat in half the flour mixture, followed by milk; end with remaining flour mixture. Mix just until incorporated (do not overmix). Gently fold in blueberries.
Divide batter among prepared muffin cups, filling each a little more than 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20 to 22 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan, 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting:

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Beat in lemon oil and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate until just firm enough to spread, about 30 minutes. Because this is a soft frosting, be sure that the cupcakes are completely cooled before frosting. I used a pastry bag with a plain round tip to frost these cupcakes.