7.22.2009

Ollalie Berry and Basil Cupcakes with Balsamic Cream Cheese Frosting

After seeing the delectable cupcakes girlchef came up with I was inspired to come up with a cupcake for the Iron Cupcake Challenge: Herbs myself. Since basil is abundant in my garden this year I figured there just had to be a way to incorporate it into a cupcake recipe. The Olallieberries are actually in the form of jam and was a special gift from Suzi.



Here's what went into the cupcakes:
  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups plain yogurt
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped basil
  • 1/2 cup Olallieberry jam (You can substitute a different kind, of course.)


Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Place all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes, scraping down sides as needed.

Line muffin tins with liners. Place one small scoop of batter into each liner. Add 1 tsp of jam to each and top with another small scoop of batter. Liners should be filled about 2/3 full.

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting. I actually placed mine in the freezer for just a bit since it's so hot right now.




For the frosting I used:
  • 1 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened
  • 1-2 tsp milk
  • 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 2-3 drops each red and blue food coloring
Combine the cream cheese, balsamic, milk and food coloring. Mix until creamy. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time until desired consistency is reached.

I also placed my frosting in the fridge to get it nice and cold.



The photo below shows what happens if you leave your cupcake out too long on a hot day!



My frosting got a tad runny! Oops!



It was really fun coming up with this flavor combination. These actually tasted pretty darn good!

Print recipe

Be sure to go and check out Iron Cupcake!

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32 comments:

Pam said...

So yummy and really pretty. I am loving how creative these cupcakes are.

Julie said...

Beautiful pics! Makes me wish I had one right now.

Jenn said...

Well done!! I love the balsamic cream cheese frosting you put on top. I can just imagine the flavors going on in that cupcake. Awesome use of basil!!

Mary Bergfeld said...

These do look delicious. My resolve will weaken if I stay here to long. I love this recipe.

Anonymous said...

Huge award for uniqueness!!! I'm thinking these would be sooooo tasty! Great post!

debra@dustjacket said...

You know I cannot resist cupcakes. :)

xxx DJ

Donna-FFW said...

Basil in the cupcakes.. fabulous idea, paired with this frosting.. it must be so very delicious!

♥peachkins♥ said...

Its a first time for me to see cupcakes with basil but it sounds really yummy and tempting!

Dajana said...

How beautiful!
The pictures are great, flavours incredibly gorgeous. I'm saving the recipe to try soon.

Cathy said...

What a great idea! The balsamic cream cheese icing sounds divine.

Heather S-G said...

They look great, Kim!! Love that shot of the inside and swirly and delicious...

chow and chatter said...

wow wonderful you are so talented

Rhiannon Bosse said...

Very creative :) I do not even know what type of berries those are but these sound juicy!! Perhaps at the end of next month we can do our little dinner! Looking forward to it!

Christo Gonzales said...

kim this looks so good and incredibly unique - great job!

Creative Classroom Core said...

What a tasty and creative cupcake!
Thanks for sharing!

Randi Troxell said...

these look great!

Debbie said...

You are so right. Those cupcakes are terribly unsightly from being left out. Tell you what - box them up and send them to me and I'll dispose of them for you. I'm just a good friend like that.

noble pig said...

Wow, that is creative! I love the cupcakes with the jam, it's awesome.

Lisa said...

Enticing! So pretty and the jam photo is a real tempter. I am finding that yogurt makes a great addition to cake recipes. With the basil you take it up another notch. Great ideas!

Leslie said...

I always love cream cheese frosting. Yours looks especially yummy!

5th Belle Avenue said...

YUM! I definitely need to follow this delicious looking site!

Reeni said...

These look scrumptious with the jam in the middle! The frosting sounds divine!

Tami (Pixeltrash) said...

I agree that they are pretty and sound interesting. I have a feeling people who bit into them might be a bit surprised.

Karine said...

Such an original and yummy recipe! And I love your cupcakes, it looks very cute!

Joyce said...

Interesting meld of flavors.
Joyce

Anonymous said...

oh wow! These cupcakes look so lovely! Looking forward to trying these recipes.

Anonymous said...

They look absolutely PERFECT!!! I've never heard of that Olallieberry jam, but sounds mighty tasty, and I love the idea of that savory addition! balsamic cream cheese? oh my!

Anonymous said...

You are an amazing cupcake baker! Every time I see a new cupcake of yours, I think that one day I'm going to have to make it!

AiringMyLaundry said...

Yum, I want one!

DS said...

Wow those look amazing! I never would think to use basil in cupcakes but they look delicious. That, and basil is such a versatile herb. I used some in a summertime berry punch I made and it turned out great!

teresa said...

I am so impressed, these are incredible. I would never think to use fresh herbs in a cupcake, but dang if it isn't delish!

the twins said...

that sounds great, and your cupcakes are so cute! =)

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