Bake It in a Cake

It’s time for summer! And one of my favorite summer berries is the blueberry (don’t tell the strawberry, okay?). In my ode to summer (cupcake style) mini blueberry pies are baked into a vanilla cupcake and topped with a slightly tart lemon curd buttercream. YUM.

I took a shortcut and used pre-made pie crust and blueberry pie filling, but of course you could make your blueberry pies from scratch. Just be sure to use small blueberries, if possible, so you can fit more than just three or four into the mini pies. No one wants to bite into a blueberry pie with just a couple berries inside.

Makes about 22-24 cupcakes.

For the blueberry pies you’ll need:

2 packages of refrigerated pie dough (enough for one two crust pie)
1 can blueberry pie filling 

For the cupcakes you’ll need:

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar 
3 eggs
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
2 t. vanilla 
2 1/2 c. flour
1 1/3 c. whole milk 

For the buttercream you’ll need:

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2 c. powdered sugar
2 t. vanilla extract 
1/2 c. lemon curd (or more, to taste)

Directions: 

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees (F).

Roll out the pie dough and use a round cookie cutter (or small juice glass) to cut out 20-22 pie crust rounds that are large enough to fit into your mini cupcake tin, so the bottom and sides of the tin are fully covered. Spoon a teaspoon or so of blueberry filling into each pie shell. Cut out 20-22 more pie crust rounds and place them on top of each mini pie, pinching the edges of the bottom crust and the top crust together so they’re sealed. Use a sharp knife to cut a small X into the top of each pie, and bake for 12-15 minutes until the crusts are golden brown (the pie filling might escape a bit—that’s okay!). 

Allow the pies to cool while you make the cupcake batter.

Turn down the oven to 350 degrees (F).

Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and stir until combined. Then add the baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, and salt. Mix for about a minute, until creamy (be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice, to ensure everything is getting worked in). Then add the milk and flour, alternating between the two ingredients (to avoid lumps) until the batter is smooth and everything is well combined. 

Scoop a heaping tablespoon of batter into your paper-lined cupcake tins. Place one cooled pie into the center of the cupcake tin and gently press it into the batter (but not all the way to the bottom). Top with another heaping tablespoon of batter, so that the pie is completely covered and the cupcake tins are about 3/4 of the way full.

Bake for about 22-25 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and set (it will bounce back when you gently press your finger into a cupcake). 

Allow the cupcakes to cool, while you make the buttercream.

For the buttercream, whip up the butter to get it good and creamy. Then add the powdered sugar a cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions (to make sure everything is getting incorporated). Add the lemon curd to the whipped frosting, a 1/4 cup at a time, tasting between each addition to make sure you want to add more (I like a lot of curd, you might like less). Once you have the desired taste, pipe or spread some frosting onto all the cupcakes and top with fresh blueberries.

My cookbook, Bake It in a Cupcake: 50 Treats With a Surprise Inside, is available now at: Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and Indiebound.com!