Recipe: Blackberry Cobbler Cupcakes | The Cake Blog (2024)

June 14, 2013 by Carrie Sellman

I’ve never met a fresh berry that I didn’t like. Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries. You name it, I’m in. Deliciously sweet on their own or jazzed up with a little hint of sugar and mint. OR… baked up into a hot, bubbly, berry cobbler… now we’re really talking berries!

I have fond childhood memories of my mom’s blackberry cobbler. A cobbler that started with wild blackberries, picked in a local field. Which honestly, is a concept I can’t even imagine now as an adult. Picking wild blackberries! There’s certainly no field of wild blackberries anywhere near my suburbia home. And if there was, I would have a million questions about these so-called wild berries. Did they belong to a local farmer? Were they safe to eat? Were they actually blackberries? Nevertheless, it is a blissful childhood memory. One that I won’t let my logical, adult mind over analyze and ruin.

What started with fresh picked blackberries ended in a bowl of warm cobbler, topped with vanilla ice cream or a swirl of whipped cream. Ah, the sweet taste of summer. Even though today’s recipe starts with a basket of berries from the market, it captures the same goodness as that bubbly cobbler. Fresh blackberries. A hint of orange. And a thick crumble topping. Some might call it more of a crisp or astreusel topping topping than a cobbler topping. I’ll just call it delicious. Delicious Blackberry Cobbler Cupcakes!

BLACKBERRY COBBLER CUPCAKES
a recipe by Carrie Sellman
{makes 24 cupcakes}

3 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
zest of 1 orange
1 cup whole milk
1 cup blackberries

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line two muffin tins with cupcake wrappers.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soad and salt. Set aside.
3. Gently toss blackberries with a light coating of flour. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium-high using the paddle attachment. Beat until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
5. With the mixer on low, add eggs one at a time. Mixing well after each egg.
6. Add vanilla and orange zest. Mix to combine.
7. Add one third of your dry ingredients and mix on low, just until combined.
8. Add one half of your milk. Mix gently.
9. Add in remaining ingredients, alternating dry, wet, dry. Do not over mix.
10. Fill cupcake liners 1/2 full with batter. Top each cupcake with 2 to 3 blackberries.
11. Bake 17-19 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

For the Blackberry Glaze
12 ounces blackberries
2 tablespoons sugar
zest and juice of 1 orange

Combine blackberries, sugar, orange juice and zest in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until berries start to burst. Cool slightly. Pour into blender and puree until smooth. Pour through a mesh strainer into a bowl to remove any little bits. Cover and store sauce in refrigerator until ready to use. This can be made several days in advance.

For the Cobbler Crumble Topping
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
8 ounces unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, salt and butter. Pulse until the crumbs are fine.
3. Spread into a thin layer on the baking tray and bake for 10 minutes.
4. Remove pan from oven and flip, stir crumble topping with a spatula. Break up any large clumps.
5. Bake again for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and stir. Bake an additional 5 – 10 minutes until golden brown.
6. Let cool completely. This can be made a day in advance and stored in an airtight container until ready to use.

To Assemble the Cupcake

Spoon roughly 1 tablespoon of blackberry glaze onto each cupcake. Spreading it over the top with the back of your spoon. Sprinkle with cobbler crumbs to coat. Finish with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. I personally went for a swirl of vanilla buttercream frosting.

TIP #1: This recipe involves several steps. If you’re short on time or have an impatient toddler (a-hem, I mean helpful little baking buddy) break it up and make the blackberry glaze and crumble topping a day in advance. Both keep well. Store the glaze in the refrigerator and the crumble topping in an airtight container on the counter.

TIP #2: And if you need to transport these cupcakes, make sure to give them ample time to set up before hitting the road. They will become more stable as the blackberry glaze sets into the cupcake. Although skeptical, Mr. Sellman successfully made it to work with these cupcakes in tow. And that’s really saying something… with his love of lane changes. And rush hour traffic.

TIP #3: Forks are highly encouraged.