Chocolate and Blackberries Make a Great Combination!
This month’s theme for Food Capture Collective is Reflection, which I think is perfect to start the new year.
Reflection photography, is when you use reflective surfaces to create an artistic echo of a scene. Using water, windows, mirrors or any sort of reflective surface can change an image into a work of art.
There are so many ways to interpret this theme. Small mirrors, large mirrors, light or dark reflective surfaces. The possibilities are endless.
I’m showing reflection by using a small vanity mirror in my scene. My Chocolate Blackberry Thyme Cupcake is being reflected. I decided to only have one part reflected as opposed to the whole scene. But either way could work.
And speaking of these cupcakes, the combination of chocolate, blackberries abs thyme was so good. I love adding herbs to my desserts and cocktails for that unexpected flavor but if it’s not your thing, you can leave it out.
The cupcakes are a deep, rich dark chocolate and they’re topped with a creamy buttercream made with blackberry thyme purée. Garnish them with a whole blackberry and a sprig of thyme and you have a beautiful looking and tasting cupcake!
Looking for other cupcake recipes? Here are a few idea:
Dulce de leche filled chocolate cupcakes
Vanilla Cupcakes with Roses and Pink Chocolate Macarons
Chocolate Blackberry Thyme Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/3 cup boiling water
Frosting
- 1/2 cup blackberries
- 1 tsp water
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 1/2 stick butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp heavy cream
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
- Blackberries to garnish
- Thyme to garnish
Instructions
Cake
- Pre-Heat oven to 350°F. Add muffin liners to 15 muffin cups. Add oil and sugar to a stand mixer and blend. Add in vanilla and egg. Mix again. Add dry ingredients. Pour in buttermilk and beat on medium speed of stand mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water. Use a cookie scoop to fill each muffin well 1/2- 3/4 full. Bake 15-20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Frosting
- Place blackberries, water, thyme and tablespoon of sugar in a small saucepan. Cook until blackberries are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Remove thyme sprig. Cool. Place mixture in a blender and purée. Set aside.Place all the buttercream ingredients in a standing mixer. Blend at a medium setting. Add the Blackberry mixture and blend again. If the frosting is too soft, add more powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time until it’s the right consistency. Add frosting to a piping bag with a star tip. Pipe frosting on top of the cupcake. Garnish with a blackberry and a sprig of thyme.
Allison
January 11, 2021 at 5:12 pmI can’t wait to try these fabulous sounding cupcakes
Peaches2Peaches
March 17, 2021 at 4:10 amGreat! Please let me know what you think of them:-)