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Orange Blueberry Buttermilk Cupcakes

Beautiful orange blueberry cupcakes with orange zest glaze! I make this recipe with fresh blueberries. When in a pinch you can use frozen, just thaw them first. These cupcakes taste great the day you make them but are also wonderful a day or two later!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword easy dessert recipe, kid-friendly recipes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 12 cupcakes
Author Linda Spiker

Ingredients

The Cake:

  • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ cup soft butter 1stick room temp 
  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil or baking oil of your choice
  • Zest of half of one large orange you will use the other half for icing
  • ⅔ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
  • 3 large eggs room temp
  • ⅔ cup cultured buttermilk room temp
  • ¾ cups fresh blueberries rinsed, dried and stems removed (plus a few more for the top of cupcakes)

The Glaze:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • Zest of half a large orange
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice give or take

Instructions

Prep:

  • Preheat oven to 350, place oven rack in center position, place cupcake liners into cupcake pan and spray with organic cooking spray. Set aside

Cake Prep:

  • Place flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl and set aside
  • Use a microplane to zest orange, scraping the skin of the orange until the white is exposed and then moving to a new area
  • Use a mixer to beat together butter, sugar, coconut oil and orange zest until smooth
  • Add vanilla paste or extract, eggs (one at a time) mixing until incorporated
  • Add buttermilk and flour alternately and mix until smooth
  • Gently stir in blueberries by hand
  • Spoon into cupcake liners (3/4 full), tap pan on counter to take out any bubbles
  • If desired, place 2-3 blueberries on top of batter and press them in a little. This way you will have berries showing on the top of each cupcake
  • Bake for 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean
  • Allow to cool for 10 minutes or so, you'll spoon the glaze on while still warm

Glaze prep:

  • Whisk together powdered sugar, zest and juice
  • Glaze should be pretty thick, you'll be spooning it onto warm cupcakes so it will melt a bit and become spreadable. But if needed, add a few more drops of orange juice to thin out.
  • By the spoonful, spoon glaze onto cupcakes. Use the back of the spoon to spread the icing towards (but not quite to) the edges. Then let the warmth of the cupcake do the rest! Serve when cool. Enjoy.