Iron Cupcake: June 09 Summer Berries, Entry 2

My second entry for Iron Cupcake summer berries is a Vanilla Cupcake with Blackberry Filling and Sweet Corn Buttercream Frosting. This entry was supposed to be the more "out there" one with the whole adding of corn to the frosting. Brad actually liked this one better than the straspberry. I was surprised - but, I had previously made him sweet corn ice cream with blackberry sauce (he loved), which is where the inspiration for this cupcake came from.



I swear that I had tasted something like a sweet corn ice cream at Jeni's in Columbus, Ohio (awesome and unique ice cream!) and sampled it with a blueberry or blackberry ice cream. But now I think that I might have made it up? At any rate, I felt the need to try this combo of sweet corn and blackberry. In my head it sounded good and I guess I was right, because the cupcakes were pretty darn good.

You might think a sweet corn frosting sounds gross, but since its sweet it just adds to the flavor of the frosting. It's not an over-powering strong corn taste. You do get lil bits of corn kernel is some bites, but it gives the frosting a nice texture.

The huge, fresh blackberries I got at Stanley's for an insanely low price made the filling SO GOOD! I again added black pepper and some lime juice to contrast with the sweet berries. Yum.

I used the same vanilla cupcakes as the previous post.

OK, so hope you like these pictures and descriptions - now vote for me starting June 28 at 8 p.m. :).

I think this is hard because you can't TASTE the cupcakes - so how do you decide who to vote for? Best pic? Best descrip? (Btw just saw "Spring Breakdown" a direct-to-DVD movie with Parker Posey, Rachel Dratch and Amy Poehler - if you've seen, you'll get the aforementioned reference.)

Happy Cupcake!


Voting details:

• Starts Sunday, June 28 at 8 p.m. at NO ONE PUTS CUPCAKE IN A CORNER, http://www.ironcupcakemilwaukee.com/
• Open through Monday, July 6 at 12 p.m.

Required Iron Cupcake info:
I'm competing to win the following prizes from the following prize providers and sponsors.

Our June ETSY PRIZE-PACK is from artists:

• a sweet cupcake ID bracelet by INSANEJELLYFISH, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5021935
• a groovy linocut piece from BLOCKHEAD PRESS http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6108705
• a sweet surprise from Sweet Cuppin' Cakes Cupcakery, http://www.acupcakery.com/
• PLUS, IronCupcake: Earth can not forget our good friend, CAKESPY, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5243382, who is now going to be doing a piece for our winner each month until further notice - sweet!

Corporate prize providers:

• HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS, http://www.fiestaproducts.com/
• HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, http://blog.hellocupcakebook.com/
• JESSIE STEELE APRONS http://www.jessiesteele.com/
• TASTE OF HOME books, http://www.tasteofhome.com/
• a t-shirt from UPWITHCUPCAKES.COM http://www.upwithcupcakes.com/
• Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers, http://www.1800flowers.com/

Iron Cupcake: June 09 Summer Berries, Entry 1

My first entry ever for Iron Cupcake is a Vanilla Cupcake with Straspberry Filling and Basil-Lime Cream Cheese Frosting. The ingredient theme for June was summer berries, so I combined sweet strawberries and raspberries (i.e., "straspberry") with a light and buttery vanilla cupcake.



I wanted to do something "different" but also something not so "out there" - so the end cupcake would still be appetizing. I tried a few recipes, some including berries in the actual batter, but found that adding the fruit in that way really changed the texture of the cupcake. Those actually ended up tasting more like muffins than cupcakes.


Strawberry and basil is a fairly common pairing, so I figured that would be a natural selection for a lot of people. But, I still wanted to try this route - again, the not so out there route. So, I tried to change things up a little bit by using the basil in the frosting with the lime juice and cream cheese. Also, the filling has a little black pepper and lime juice for a spicy/tangy kick. The vanilla cupcake was the perfect complement to hold up against the flavors of the straspberry filling and fresh, tangy frosting. If you want my recipes, please ask and I'll email them.


I've checked out some of the other entries though and I think I'm up against some tough competition. Stuff like Sichuan Blueberry Pancake Cupcakes and Blackberry Lemon Polenta Cupcakes.

Jeesh...I might have to up my ante next month. Read the next post for my second cupcake entry! And, I'd love to get your votes, of course. :)



Voting details:

• Starts Sunday, June 28 at 8 p.m. at NO ONE PUTS CUPCAKE IN A CORNER, http://www.ironcupcakemilwaukee.com/
• Open through Monday, July 6 at 12 p.m.

Required Iron Cupcake info:

I'm competing to win the following prizes from the following prize providers and sponsors.

Our June ETSY PRIZE-PACK is from artists:

• a sweet cupcake ID bracelet by INSANEJELLYFISH, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5021935
• a groovy linocut piece from BLOCKHEAD PRESS http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6108705
• a sweet surprise from Sweet Cuppin' Cakes Cupcakery, http://www.acupcakery.com/
• PLUS, IronCupcake:Earth can not forget our good friend, CAKESPY, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5243382, who is now going to be doing a piece for our winner each month until further notice - sweet!

Corporate prize providers:

• HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS, http://www.fiestaproducts.com/
• HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, http://blog.hellocupcakebook.com/
• JESSIE STEELE APRONS http://www.jessiesteele.com/
• TASTE OF HOME books, http://www.tasteofhome.com/
• a t-shirt from UPWITHCUPCAKES.COM http://www.upwithcupcakes.com/
• Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers, http://www.1800flowers.com/