A couple of months ago, I made some blackberry lime jam. And then (true to form), in all the summer hubbub, I genuinely forgot all about it. I say “true to form” because I do that a lot. I make something that I’m dying to use, and then I forget about it. Months later, I end up finding it in the cupboard and thinking, “OH CRAP!” But it’s okay, because isn’t that why we make shelf-stable jams & jellies? So we can use them months & months & months after we make them?
So the idea I had for the jam was originally a form of thumbprint cookies. But that fell by the wayside when I imagined vanilla cupcakes with a blackberry lime jam filling, topped with some vanilla-lime buttercream. I’ve been in a cupcake-y mood again lately, it seems. And this jam is really beautiful. Pardon my photography skills (and the possible overload of photos in this post), these shots were taken on my birthday gift, a.k.a. my new camera, so I’m still playing around with settings.
While I’m on the subject of cupcakes, I’d like to introduce you all to my new “blog adoptee” for lack of a better term. Meet Cathy, everyone! Her blog is new, it’s called Legalized Frostitution, and she’s asked me to help her navigate the sometimes stormy seas of the blog world. She joins the ranks of the lovely Amanda, my first blog adoptee whom I will love for always & forever stalk on Instagram. Cathy is awesome- she said some really sweet things about me (flattery will get you everywhere, take note *wink*) and you should all bookmark her blog or whatever it is you crazy kids do nowadays. Like Amanda, she’s about to realize I really have no idea what the hell I’m talking about; I just like to read my own writing & take pretty pictures. Heh. Welcome to the fold, Cathy. I wish you much blogging success!
Anyway, I adapted a cupcake recipe to make about a half-dozen (it made 8, actually) so I didn’t have a surplus of cupcakes. Plus, I didn’t want to use up ALL the jam. I was originally going to swirl the jam into the batter, but then I ended up just “filling” the batter with a teaspoon/teaspoon and a half of jam. You can’t see it from the outside, but it’s there. You could swirl it if you wanted to create a nice visual effect (or if you’re not using frosting), but I figured the frosting would just cover it so it was a waste.
Anyway, because the recipe is quartered, you can double/triple/quadruple it with excellent results.
BLACKBERRY JAM CUPCAKES WITH LIME
Makes about 6-8 cupcakes
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon + 1 1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I used Rodelle, my new favorite)
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg
- Blackberry lime jam
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with paper liners.
- Sift flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into large bowl. Set aside. Beat butter and oil in a separate medium bowl. Add eggs; blend.
- Whisk in buttermilk, milk, & vanilla extract. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients; whisk just to blend.
- Divide batter among liners, adding about 2-3 teaspoons of batter, then 1-2 teaspoons of jam, then 2-3 more teaspoons of batter on top.
- Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to racks; cool.
VANILLA-LIME BUTTERCREAM
Ingredients:
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 4 tablespoons vegetable shortening (preferably Crisco)
- 1 lb. confectioner’s sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- the zest of one lime; half finely grated, half left on the larger side (for topping)
Directions:
- Beat butter & shortening until light and fluffy.
- With mixer on low speed, gradually add powdered sugar. Add milk & vanilla and mix until very smooth. Adjust depending on preference- add more sugar to thicken, more milk to soften.
- Add the finely grated lime zest, beat until incorporated. Frost cupcakes & top with the rest of the lime zest.
So I just frosted the cooled cupcakes with a large closed star tip, leaving an opening in the middle. I filled the opening with a dollop (isn’t that a great word- DOLLOP) of jam, and then grated some more lime zest on top. My jam happened to have some larger almost-whole blackberry chunks, which was perfect.
Look at this sweet little sunset-bathed blackberry lime cupcake.
Okay so here’s the deal. If you don’t want to make the jam, you can 100% use fresh blackberries; just plop a berry in the middle of each cupcake where the jam would go. Then plop another one on top, after it’s frosted, also where the jam would go. And then just grate the lime zest over it. You can actually use any kind of jam or berry you want, in theory. Lemon zest goes well with blueberry & strawberry, orange goes nicely with raspberry. Even marmalade would be nice, like a creamsicle cupcake. I’ve made lemon marmalade cupcakes before, but not orange. Hm.
Say hello to He Who Must Not Be Named (Harry Potter reference!). He’s fairly new- he just got here in February & he hasn’t gotten a lot of face-time, unlike Lola, who is basically the dominatrix/queen of everything around here. But he’s mega spiffy with his skull & crossbones sticker. And he wanted to say hi. So hi. Also, he’s a KitchenAid 9-Speed digital Architect model. Just in case you were wondering.
And that’s that. Now… on to the 600 other jars of jam I have in here.
Sources & credits: Ikea black bowl, Ikea cupcake tea towel, vintage silverware, Ball® 8-oz. crystal quilted jars can be purchased at freshpreserving.com.
I'm Marilla. A 30-something artist, hobby baker, home canning enthusiast, gardener, DIY-er, wife, mommy of a baby boy and dog mom (to another baby boy) from New York. 
Jam cupcakes! Man, I knew I should have made some jam this year. But I guess there’s still a little time! 🙂
There still is time, but it works just as well with fresh berries. So you could always buy a teeny lil pint of berries just for these 😉
I want to go home and make these cupcakes right away. These sound and look delicious! I may have some difficulty finding homemade jam, but I’m sure I can find something. Great looking recipe!
Hillary- you don’t have to use homemade jam, store bought jam is just fine 😉 It just so happens I make my own jam so I have it on hand.
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