Purple

I really really like the color purple. A lot. I'm not going to elaborate more because it's kind of obscene, but it seemed a natural choice to blend my loves of purple and baked goods into the tour de force of this blackberry cupcake. I originally developed this recipe to enter it into a contest to have it served at the Emmys, which I'm not going to win, but I'm SO glad I did because it's hands down the best cupcake I've ever made. I tweaked some of the proportions to get a super light and fluffy cake, and changed around the frosting to maximize the texture and white chocolate flavor. In the end, my experimenting was a big fat success that had its fair share of speechless test tasters. Bottom line? Make it. There's no better way to celebrate summer than with the combination of fresh fruit and a dollop of frosting :)

Blackberry Cupcakes
Adapted from Une-Deux Senses
Makes 12 cupcakes
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 C granulated sugar
1/2 C unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 C blackberry coulis (recipe below)
1/2 C buttermilk (you can substitute whole milk + 1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice - just mix and let sit at room temperature for at least 5 minutes)

Blackberry jam

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a cupcake pan with liners or nonstick spray. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. Whisk in blackberry coulis. Alternate adding dry ingredients and buttermilk so there are three additions of dry and two of buttermilk. Divide batter into pan, filling 2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the top of the cupcakes springs back when lightly touched. Remove from pan and let cool completely. Using a small paring knife or apple corer, cut out a small space in the center of each cupcake and fill with blackberry jam. Frost and enjoy!

Blackberry Coulis
Makes about 3/4 cup

6 oz blackberries
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 C water

Directions: Mix all ingredients together in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 5 minutes and remove from heat. When cooled, puree in a food processor and strain.

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from AllRecipes
Makes enough for 12 cupcakes

2 oz white chocolate
8 oz (one package) cream cheese, softened
1/2 C unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 C powdered sugar
2 Tbsp heavy cream

Directions: Melt white chocolate over low heat in a small bowl over simmering water (double boiler). Allow to cool to room temperature. In another bowl, beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in white chocolate and vanilla. Gradually add powdered sugar until mixture is fluffy. Beat in heavy cream. Store refrigerated!