Blackberry Lavender Chocolate Cupcakes

The floral and sweet fruity flavors of lavender and blackberries come together to perfectly compliment and contrast the rich chocolate cupcakes in this Blackberry Lavender Chocolate Cupcakes recipe! The recipe features a quick and easy chocolate cupcake recipe that produces a ultra fluffy, perfectly sweet, and moist cupcake. The chocolate flavors of the cupcakes pair beautifully with the lavender blackberry frosting, which is deeply sweet, fruity, and of course delicately floral! If chocolate and fruit is your jam, these cupcakes are sure to be your absolute new favorite!

How to make the Chocolate Cupcakes

1. Combine wet ingredients: Add the eggs, sugar, vanilla, sour cream, and oil, to a large mixing bowl, then beat together with a whisk until the mixture is smooth and well-combined.

2. Whisk together the dry ingredients: In a separate mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. Bloom the cocoa: Add the sifted cocoa powder to the warm coffee. Mix until smooth, and then add to the wet mixture from above.

4. Add the dry & wet together: Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, and whisk together until smooth. Try not to over mix though!

5. Add to pan & bake: Pour the Blackberry Lavender Chocolate Cupcakes batter into a prepared cupcake pan, then place into the oven to bake! When done, allow the Chocolate Cupcakes to cool completely before topping with frosting!

‘Blooming’ the Cocoa Powder

You’ll notice in the recipe instructions that you have to add the cocoa powder to hot coffee before adding it to the batter. This is known as ‘blooming’ that cocoa. The reasoning behind this process is that the hot liquid dissolves flavor particles within the cocoa powder, making the final product taste more chocolatey! While we’re at it, you may also be wondering why these Blackberry Lavender Chocolate Cupcakes as well as many other chocolate cake or cupcake recipes, are made with coffee. Again, the reasoning for this is because the coffee actually intensifies that chocolate flavor! Neat, huh?!

WHAT IS DUTCH PROCESSED COCOA?

This Blackberry Lavender Chocolate Cupcakes recipe calls for Dutch processed cocoa as the cocoa powder. ‘What the heck is Dutch processed cocoa powder’, you ask? Dutch processed cocoa is created by alkalizing regular cocoa powder to bring it up to a pH of 7. This process sort of strips the acidic properties out of the cocoa powder, leaving it with a much more mild, less astringent taste. By removing the astringency, the flavor of chocolate is able to shine through more, creating the illusion that it tastes more chocolatey! Definitely what we want for a chocolate cake recipe!

Be warned, however, that regular cocoa powder and dutch-processed cocoa powder cannot always be used interchangeably. Recipes that include baking soda need an acid to activate the baking soda to induce rising. In many recipes this ingredient is cocoa powder (pH=5.3). Therefore, using Dutch processed cocoa powder, which has a neutral pH, wouldn’t activate the baking soda, and another acidic ingredient would be required. For example, in this Chocolate Cupcakes recipe, that other acidic ingredient is sour cream (pH=4.5).

CULINARY LAVENDER VS REGULAR LAVENDER

It is important in making the blackberry lavender buttercream, or any other recipe that involves lavender, that you use Culinary Grade Lavender. Firstly, culinary grade lavender is the only safe lavender to consume, because it has been prepared and processed in a food-grade environment, and has only had good-grade chemicals used on it during the growing process. Secondly, culinary lavenders are more flavorful and aromatic than their non-culinary counterparts. There are many varieties of lavender out there, but culinary lavender uses a varieties that are more sweet and have a sweet fragrance as well – making them perfect for edible usage.

How to make the Blackberry Lavender Buttercream

Making the Blackberry Lavender Buttercream first requires us to infuse the lavender with the confectioners sugar using a food processor! Simply place 2 cups of the confectioners sugar and the culinary lavender into the food processor, then process until the lavender basically turns to a fine dust, and is mixed thoroughly with the sugar. Now just use a fine mesh sieve and sift the lavender sugar to remove any large pieces of lavender.

Now onto actually making the Blackberry Lavender Buttercream! Place the butter into the stand mixer and beat with the whisk attachment for around 5 minutes, or until it looks light, fluffy, and pale in color. Add in the lavender infused confectioners sugar and the other remaining confectioners sugar, then beat until well-combined and fluffy looking. Lastly, add the blackberry jelly, then beat until smooth!

Get the Recipe: Blackberry Lavender Chocolate Cupcakes

5 stars (9 reviews)

These gorgeous Blackberry Lavender Chocolate Cupcakes are wonderfully rich and fudgy which is perfectly contrasted with the fruity, floral flavors of the buttercream!

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 50 minutes mins

Servings: 24 cupcakes

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Ingredients

 

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Chocolate Cupcakes

• 2 ½ cups (300g) All Purpose Flour,, † measured correctly
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 2 Eggs
• 2 cups Sugar
• 1 cup Sour Cream
• 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
• 2 tsp Vanilla
• 3/4 cup Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder, (regular cocoa can be used too)
• 3/4 cup Hot Freshly Brewed Coffee

Lavender Blackberry Buttercream

• 7 cups Confectioners Sugar,, sifted
• 1/4 cup Culinary Lavender
• 2 cups Unsalted Butter,, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup Blackberry Jam
• Pinch of Salt

Equipment

• Stand mixer
• Food Processor

Instructions

 

Chocolate Cupcakes

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare 2 cupcake pans (24 total cupcakes) with cupcake liners. In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together to combine. Set aside.
• In another large bowl, add eggs, sugar, sour cream, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Whisk together until smooth and well combined.
• In a small mixing bowl or 2-cup liquid measuring cup, add the hot coffee and cocoa powder. Whisk together until well-combined and smooth. Allow to sit for 2 minutes, then add the cocoa mixture into the mixing bowl with the wet ingredients (eggs, sour cream, etc.), then mix until smooth.
• Add the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients, and mix until smooth. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cupcake pans, filling 2/3 full, and bake for 20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Lavender Blackberry Buttercream

• Add 2 cups of confectioners sugar and lavender to a food processor. Process until no large pieces of lavender are apparent – about 3-4 minutes. Using a fine mesh sieve, sift the lavender sugar to remove any leftover large pieces of lavender and discard them. Set the sugar aside.
• Add butter to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high until butter is doubled in volume, and looks light and fluffy.
• Turn the stand mixer to low and slowly add the lavender confectioners sugar and the other 5 cups of confectioners sugar. Beat until completely incorporated, then add in the blackberry jam and salt. Beat until well-combined and fully incorporated.
• Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

Notes

† to measure flour correctly, use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup, then level off with a straight edge. Do not pack the flour into the cup, or scoop with the measuring cup straight from the bag/container. Alternatively, weigh the flour (1 cup = 120g or 4oz)

Cuisine: American

Course: Baking

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