Blackberry Lavender Cupcakes

 One of my favorite springtime flavor combos is blackberry and lavender! These light, lavender cupcakes are filled with homemade blackberry jam and topped with lavender buttercream and fresh blackberries

INGREDIENTS:

 Blackberry Lavender Jam

• 16 ounces blackberries, fresh or frozen
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice, optional
• ¼ teaspoon lavender extract paste, or ½ teaspoon dried lavender flowers

Lavender Cupcakes

• ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon lavender extract paste
• 1 ½ cups cake flour, substitute all purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup milk

Lavender Buttercream

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• ¼ teaspoon lavender extract paste
• 1 drop purple food coloring, optional
• 2 teaspoons heavy cream

INSTRUCTIONS:

Blackberry Lavender Jam

1. I recommend making the jam the night before you want to make the cupcakes so that it has time to fully cool.
2. Add all of the jam ingredients to a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Allow the jam to simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently until thickened.
3. Transfer the jam to a glass jar and allow to cool to room temperature. Store in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Lavender Cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 12 cup cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
2. Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the melted butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and lavender extract together until combined.
4. Stir in about half of the flour mixture. Then stir in the milk and the rest of the flour mixture and mix until fully combined. The batter will be thin.
5. Pour about ¼ cup of batter into each cupcake liner (they should be about halfway full).
6. Bake at 350°F for 18-22 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
7. Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack. Let cupcakes cool completely before filling and frosting.
8. Use a cupcake corer to remove the center of each cupcake, then fill with 1-2 teaspoons of cooled blackberry jam.

Lavender Buttercream

1. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the softened butter and powdered sugar until smooth and creamy.
2. Add in the lavender extract, purple food coloring, and heavy cream. Beat the buttercream for 3-4 minutes on high speed until light and fluffy.
3. Frost cooled cupcakes. I used a Wilton 1M tip for these photos.