Lime & Blackberries & A Whole Lotta Blog Love

Is your mouth is watering yet? Mine sure is just remembering the taste of these incredible cupcakes. But you're just going to have to hold your horses for a bit because before I share my recipe, I would like to thank Jesica from The Pencil Kitchen for honoring me with a Kreativ Blogger Award! She is one of my oldest and most loyal followers, so I really appreciate the gesture :)

Here's how this award works, I share 7 interesting facts about myself and then pass the award along to 7 other bloggers who I admire.

Here are several interesting things about me that may have not come out yet on this little blog...

1. I have this weird habit where instead of actually laughing out loud when something funny happens, sometimes I'll just wiggle my shoulders up and down and smile. No idea why.
2. I wear cowboy boots about every other day. They're my power boots: super worn-in and comfortable, but look pretty badass (in my head, at least...)
3. Peter Pan is my absolute favorite story in the world. Period. Not many stories or movies make me cry, but Peter Pan does every single time.
4. When I'm in a bad mood or stressed out, I tend to blast loud & dirty rap music while I bake something with chocolate. It' a nice contrast :)
5. I have synesthesia, which means that I associate people, letters and numbers with different colors. It sounds kind of hokey, but when I meet people and get to know them it's almost as if they radiate a certain color!
6. My brother ran away with the circus. Okay, he didn't run away, but he goes to circus school after his normal high school classes 6 days a week. I am simultaneously proud and jealous of his life.
7. I love to read. I tend to bring books or a newspaper or something with me wherever I go on campus, just in case I have a couple minutes of downtime. I even had a shirt in 5th grade that said "Serious Reader." Obviously, I was the coolest kid in school.

Aaaaand the fun part, here is who I get to pass on the award to (in no particular order):

1. Peaceful Plate: Noelle always has such gorgeous photos and delicious recipes! I have tried a few of them and they have never failed. I love her down-to-earth voice, too.
2. The Tomato Tart: I can't believe Sabrina has only had this blog going for less than a year! It is so beautifully put together and has some of the most mouth-watering photos. For example, I have been drooling over this pumpkin and chocolate cake forever- I've got to get around to making it soon.
3. Cookies for Alligator: I'm a sucker for any vintage-looking photo taken with a 35mm, and this girl has got some beauties. Her pictures and recipes are so original, as is her open and honest blogger voice. 
4. Hungry Gnomes: These ladies are some of the funniest bloggers I've ever seen. I love the stories they share to go along with each recipe (which always look delicious, by the way). A few of their posts have actually made me laugh out loud!
5. Oh, Ladycakes: I have always loved the clean, fresh look of her blog. Her recipes are usually fairly simple and so beautifully presented! The name Ladycakes is downright adorable, too.
6. Scissors and Spice: I love how this blog combines crafts and food. She is so endlessly creative- I don't know how she does it along with keeping up her own etsy store!
7. Papillon: I love the artful simplicity of this blog. It really lets the pictures stand out, which is great because they never cease to be absolutely stunning.

Okay. Now back to the food. My mom showed me a non-vegan version of these cupcakes on Pintrest and I fell in love. I decided I had to make them that very night, so I did, and they were amazing. Seriously. I know I say a lot of things are my favorite, but the flavor combo of fluffy and moist lime cupcakes with tart and creamy blackberries really just can't be beat.

Key Lime Cupcakes with Blackberry Filling and Blackberry Buttercream Frosting (inspired by Baked Perfection)

makes 1 dozen cupcakes

Cake:

1 1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup earth balance

3/4 cup sugar (these are very sweet, so feel free to adjust this slightly to your taste)

3 tsp egg replacer mixed with 1/4 cup water

juice from 1 lime

zest from 1 lime

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup plain soy yogurt

Filling:

3 cups frozen blackberries

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice

2 tbsp cornstarch

pinch of salt

Frosting:

1/2 cup earth balance

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup blackberry filling

3 cups powdered sugar

1. Dump the frozen blackberries in a bowl and sprinkle with sugar. Let them thaw while you prep your cupcakes. 
2. Preheat the oven to 350º and line a cupcake tin. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and soda and salt. In a separate larger bowl, cream together the earth balance and sugar until fluffy. Whisk in the egg replacer, then add the lime juice, zest, and vanilla. 
3. Slowly add the flour mixture to the larger bowl, alternating with stirring in the soy yogurt. Mix until combined. Pour the batter into the cupcake tin, filling the cups about 3/4 of the way full.  Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (ovens may vary, so check after 20 minutes if yours tends to bake things faster).

4. While the cupcakes are baking, prepare your filling and frosting. Once the blackberries have thawed completely, drain them to get rid of the excess liquid, but save this liquid in a measuring cup. Add water to the blackberry liquid until it reaches 1 cup. Place the drained berries in a mesh sieve and mash them thoroughly, leaving the seeds behind and set this aside. In a saucepan, mix together the blackberry liquid, lemon juice, cornstarch and salt. Stir until it begins to boil and thicken. Remove from heat and pour in the rest of the mashed blackberries (excluding the seeds) and let cool.
5. To make the frosting, cream together the earth balance, vanilla, and blackberry filling. Whisk in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until thick and creamy.

6. When the cupcakes are done baking, let them cool for about 20-30 minutes, then time to fill 'em up! Grab a Ziploc bag and fill it with about 1/4 cup of the blackberry filling. Cut off one of the corners of the bag to make a tiny hole where you can squeeze the filling out. Poke a hole in the top of each cupcake and use a knife or your finger to dig a little well in the center. Squeeze in the filling until it starts to bubble out of the top. Repeat for each cupcake- you may need to refill the bag a couple times. Top with a thick layer of buttercream frosting and a fresh blackberry!

If you have leftover filling (I had about a cupful!) it is super delicious swirled into your morning oatmeal or yogurt with some extra berries on top.

We served these to my cousin and her husband when they came over for dinner... and all twelve were gone in about an hour. Needless to say, they were a huge hit.