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MOIST VANILLA CUPCAKES with MARIONBERRY LEMON WHIPPED BUTTERCREAM

Cupcake Royale in Seattle have my absolute favorite cupcakes, and I've been trying for a while to come up with a similar cupcake recipe to their vanilla cupcakes and I think I nailed it!  These cupcakes are dense and moist cakes, they are so flavorful, but not too sweet.  In the Summertime I make a lot of homemade jams, so I had homemade marionberry jam and lemon curd on hand, but using store bought is fine, or whatever flavors you have or hand and like.  

Cupcake Ingredients

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/3 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. egg whites
1/2 c. warm water
1/3 c. reduced-fat sour cream
6 1/2 Tbsp. butter, cut into chucks and kept cold
3 Tbsp. canola oil
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl. 
3. In a separate bowl combine warm water, sour cream, egg whites, and vanilla extract. 
4. In a mixer on low speed combine the dry ingredients with butter, canola oil, and a fourth of the liquid ingredients until the mixture is blended through.
5. Increase the mixer speed to medium and add another fourth of the liquid mixture and blend for 30 seconds. Now scrape down the sides of the bowl.
6. Repeat step 5 for the remainder of the liquid mixture, making sure that between each 30 second period that you scrape down the edges of the bowl. 
7. Fill cupcake tins with your favorite cupcake wrappers, this recipe makes around 16 cupcakes.  Fill cupcake wrappers a little over three-fourths full; these cupcakes will rise, but not too much.  
8. Bake at 350 F for 25-28 minutes.  The edges of the cupcakes will begin to get a little color. 
9. Let the cupcakes cool before frosting them.

Marionberry Lemon Whipped Buttercream Ingredients

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), at room temperature 

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted to remove lumps

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled

4 Tbsp. Marionberry jam (or whatever berry jam you prefer)\

2 Tbsp. Lemon curd

Directions

1. In a mixer on medium speed combine butter and powdered sugar until they are incorporated. 
2. Add heavy cream and mix for 2 minutes.
3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add marionberry jam and lemon curd.  Mix for another two minutes or until all the frosting ingredients are well blended. 

Frosting the cupcakes

1. Take a large ziploc storage bag and make a half inch cut to cut one of the corners off.
2. Load frosting into the ziploc storage bag and pipe frosting through the hole you cut.  

Enjoy!