It’s definitely time for cupcakes. After all, spring has sprung. What better time to get our pastel frosting action on?
Well, I think spring has sprung. The D.C. area has a habit of swinging back and forth like a crazed toddler on a playground with temps, but I’m hoping we’ll stabilize soon. Until we do, I plan to hide in the house with cupcakes.
These are, according to a picky person I work with, the best thing I’ve ever baked. The cupcake batter is made with Canada Dry® Blackberry Ginger Ale and topped with a blackberry frosting. They’re pretty darn special.
All year long, I wait for fruit to finally become available. It seems patently unfair to me that some parts of the world have amazing fruit on a yearlong basis while we have to endure the winter.
But then I think about my grandmother. When she was a girl in Russia, they barely had any fresh fruit, ever. One day someone gave her an apple, which was a rare treat. Her siblings (she had five of them) ate their apples right away, but she saved hers for later. And saved it. And saved it.
You can probably guess what happened. The apple rotted, and my poor grandmother never got her treat. When I think about that story and then consider how absolutely spoiled I am (I mean, I can’t go a day without sugar), I realize I have nothing to complain about.
There’s no doubt that the spring brings forth increased desire for refreshing treats, and these cupcakes are the epitome of that. The Canada Dry® Blackberry Ginger Ale is made with real ginger, and I also have some ground ginger in the cupcake batter. The goal is to create a subtle undertone of ginger to complement the stronger blackberry flavor, and it worked out great.
As the official birthday coordinator in my office, it’s my job to bring in treats for everyone’s special day. When these cupcakes came into the office, nobody could resist eating them. There’s just something so festive about a blackberry ginger cupcake in the spring!
I also brought in some of the Canada Dry® Blackberry Ginger Ale 2-liters so that everyone could taste the soda, and all that bubbly made everyone even happier. But since the soda is only available seasonally through mid-May, they’ll have to get it quickly!
These can be made with pretty much the ingredients you already have, plus the Canada Dry® Blackberry Ginger Ale. For the frosting, make sure the jam you buy is seedless. You don’t want seedy frosting!
Remember to pick up a bottle of Canada Dry® Blackberry Ginger Ale for some fun spring cupcake action this season. Your cupcakes will be the life of the party, guaranteed!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners and spray them lightly with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix again.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and ground ginger. Set aside.
- In another small bowl, combine the sour cream and the Canada Dry® Blackberry Ginger Ale. Mix until incorporated.
- Alternating mixtures, add the dry mixture and the sour cream mixture to the stand mixer. Beat until all ingredients are smooth.
- Using an ice cream scoop for portion evenness, portion the cupcake batter into the prepared liners. Fill each liner about 3/4 of the way up.
- Bake the cupcakes for 20-22 minutes. Cool completely.
- When the cupcakes are cool, make the frosting. Cream the butter and vanilla until smooth. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time until a smooth frosting forms. You want it to be stiff enough to pipe with, especially since you're adding jam. Finally, mix in the blackberry jam.
- Using a large star tip, pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes. Place a blackberry in the center of each cupcake.
- Allow the frosting to set. Store covered.
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