These buttery-soft blueberry cream cupcakes are bursting with juicy blueberries and pure vanilla flavor, and are topped with a fluffy cloud of lemony whipped cream cheese frosting. These cupcakes are a perfect treat for spring and summer when blueberries are in season.
I originally published this recipe in 2014 and have since added new photos and more helpful success tips. I also made some small improvements to the recipe, which are reflected in the printable recipe below.
If you’re looking for a blueberry and vanilla-forward cupcake recipe, with a hint of lemon, and a big fluffy cloud of whipped frosting on top, you’ve landed in the right place.
This new-and-improved cupcake batter is very similar to my strawberry shortcake cupcakes version. (Have you tried those before? Because you MUST!)
Grab These Ingredients
Here’s What You Need & Why:
- Flour: All-purpose flour is the base of this cupcake batter.
- Baking Powder + Baking Soda: These leavening agents give the cupcakes lift. See the video explaining the difference between baking powder and baking soda.
- Salt: Flavor enhancer/sweetness balancer.
- Melted Butter: Using melted butter instead of softened butter means you don’t need a mixer to make these wonderfully soft cupcakes. I also appreciate that you can really taste that buttery flavor, something you don’t always get in a cupcake recipe using oil or creamed butter. That’s why I use melted butter in snickerdoodle cupcakes, too.
- Egg Whites: Using just the whites of the eggs makes for the lightest, fluffiest vanilla cake crumb… something you’ll also enjoy in my favorite white cake recipe.
- Sour Cream: This keeps the cupcakes moist. Plain yogurt works as a fine substitute.
- Milk: Whole milk makes for the best taste and texture, but lower-fat or nondairy can work in a pinch.
- Vanilla Bean + Extract: Besides blueberries, vanilla is the main flavor in these cupcakes, so I recommend using the pure kind here, for the best possible flavor. You’ll also need the seeds scraped from 1/2 of a vanilla bean (–> this is my preferred variety). Instead of using both, consider subbing in vanilla bean paste.
- Blueberries: I strongly encourage you to use fresh blueberries; I find frozen weighs down the batter and the cupcakes come out quite dense.
How to Make Blueberry Cream Cupcakes
The process for making these cupcakes is straightforward. Whisk together dry ingredients, whisk together wet ingredients, and then combine the two. You don’t need a mixer for this batter! Gently fold in the blueberries.
You’ll have enough batter for 15 cupcakes, so line a standard 12-cup muffin pan and then a second one with 3 more cupcake liners. Fill the liners just 2/3 of the way full. Don’t try to fit all the batter into 12 cups—the cupcakes will spill over the sides when baking. (Baker’s Tip: If you serve a dozen cupcakes, no one will have any idea there were 3 extra cupcakes that somehow went missing… that can be our little secret.)
These cupcakes take just about 20 to 22 minutes to bake. Make sure they are completely cool before you frost them. Which brings us to this…
Lemon Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
Need I say more?? This light and fluffy whipped cream cheese frosting flavored with fresh lemon is simply *chef’s kiss* on these blueberry cream cupcakes.
With just the right amount of sweetness balanced with the tangy cream cheese and zingy lemon, you’ll be looking for more reasons to make this frosting. (A few suggestions: pistachio cupcakes, lemon raspberry cupcakes, angel food cupcakes, strawberry cupcakes…)
Here’s what you need:
- Heavy Cream (Cold)
- Cream Cheese
- Confectioners’ Sugar
- Lemon Zest + Juice
- Vanilla Extract
Start by whipping the cold cream, just like you do for making homemade whipped cream. Once you have stiff peaks, transfer the whipped cream to another bowl.
Next, beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy (no lumps!), then add the rest of the ingredients. With a spatula, gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. Go slowly—you don’t want to deflate the whipped cream too much.
You can pipe the whipped cream cheese frosting on the cupcakes, or simply dollop and spread it on top. I like to add a few fresh blueberries and a little sprig of fresh mint for an easy garnish. In the photos, I used piping tip Ateco 808 (a large, wide round tip).
That’s it, you’re done! Light and sweet blueberry cupcakes with a fluffy cloud of cream on top. The hint of lemon is like the sunshine cutting through that cloud. 😉
Similar Recipes + Flavors
For a stronger lemon flavor, consider these lemon blueberry cupcakes or even this lemon blueberry cake.
And if you love blueberry + cream + vanilla together, you absolutely make this blueberry cream cheese pie. (A favorite!)
Description
These buttery-soft blueberry cream cupcakes are bursting with juicy blueberries and pure vanilla flavor, and are topped with a fluffy cloud of lemony whipped cream cheese frosting. These cupcakes are a perfect treat for spring and summer when blueberries are in season.
Cupcakes
Whipped Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. This recipe yields about 15 cupcakes, so line a second muffin pan with 3 cupcake liners, or bake in batches.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter and sugar together. Mixture will be gritty. Whisk in the egg whites, sour cream, milk, and vanilla extract until combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until the batter is completely combined. Batter should be creamy and mostly smooth; a few small lumps are OK. With a spatula, gently fold in the blueberries.
- Pour/spoon the batter into the liners, filling only 2/3 full to avoid spilling over the sides. You should have enough batter for 15 cupcakes.
- Bake for 20–22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove cupcakes from the oven and allow them to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cupcakes must be completely cooled before topping.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 3–4 minutes. If you accidentally over-whip the cream, and it looks curdled and heavy, pour in a little bit more cold heavy cream, and fold it in gently by hand with a spatula until it smooths out. Transfer the whipped cream to a medium bowl.
- In the same bowl used for the whipped cream (no need to wash it), beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the confectioners’ sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture and gently fold together with a spatula just until combined. Do not overmix.
- Frost cooled cupcakes. You can use a piping bag and tip to pipe the frosting on, or spread it on with an icing spatula or knife. I used piping tip Ateco 808. Garnish cupcakes with fresh blueberries and/or mint, if desired.
- Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Cover and store leftover cupcakes in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I recommend a cupcake carrier for storing and transporting decorated cupcakes.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Bake the cupcakes 1 day in advance. Keep cupcakes covered tightly at room temperature and fill/frost the day of serving. You can make the whipped cream cheese frosting and store it covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 day before using. Unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before frosting and serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Vanilla Bean | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Cooling Rack | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand Mixer) | Citrus Zester | Citrus Juicer | Small Icing Spatula or Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) + Piping Tip (I used piping tip Ateco 808) | Cupcake Carrier
- Update in 2025: This recipe was originally published in 2014. Over the years, I made some subtle improvements. If you prefer to make it the old way, reduce the baking powder to 1/2 teaspoon, use 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar and 1/2 cup light brown sugar, use 1 large egg instead of 2 egg whites, and add 2 teaspoons lemon zest. The original recipe called for cream cheese frosting.
- Can I Use Frozen Blueberries? For best results, I strongly recommend using fresh. If you decide to use frozen, do not thaw and expect the cupcakes to taste dense.
- Egg Whites: It’s best to use only egg whites in this cupcake recipe because they will ensure that the crumb is not weighed down by the fat in egg yolks. If needed, you can use 1 full egg instead. Keep in mind the texture of the cupcake will change.
- Sour Cream & Whole Milk: Sour cream and whole milk are strongly recommended for the best taste and texture. If needed, plain yogurt (either Greek or regular) works instead of sour cream. Same goes with a lower-fat milk (I don’t recommend nonfat). Nondairy milk works in a pinch. You can replace both the whole milk and sour cream with buttermilk (1 cup/240ml) if needed.
- Vanilla: I use a combination of pure vanilla extract and vanilla bean in this batter. You can, of course use vanilla bean paste instead of using both. I recommend 2 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste.
- Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking the BEST cupcakes before you begin.
- Cream Cheese: Make sure you are using brick cream cheese and not cream cheese spread. Bricks of cream cheese are typically 8 ounces (226g) each, so you need 1 and 1/2 bricks.
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