Almond Raspberry Cream Cupcakes

One of the greatest things that comes with the beautiful weather of summer is all of the fresh fruit!!! If you haven't noticed by now, one of my favorite things to use in frostings {both in the frosting itself and as a topper} is fresh fruit..strawberries, raspberries, blueberries...I love them all! These cupcakes were also from my Independence Day weekend {thus the red, white, and blue}, and although I was originally hesitant to top them with blueberries, they were quite delicious and would not have been the same without them.

Almond Raspberry Cream Cupcakes

Yields about 24

Cupcakes:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 1/2 cup almond milk

4 egg whites

1 1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup sweet cream, salted butter {softened}

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp almond extract

Frosting:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

4 ounces cream cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 to 3 cups confectioner's sugar

1 handful fresh raspberries

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder; set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the almond milk and egg whites; set aside.

Beat the sugar and butter with an electric mixer until all of the sugar is combined, then add the vanilla and almond extract.

While still beating, alternate adding half of the flour mixture, then half of the egg white/almond milk mixture until they are both completely combined. 

Fill cupcake cups halfway, and bake on 350 for 20-25 minutes.

For the frosting, beat the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth {about 3 minutes}. 

Gradually beat in 2 cups of the confectioner's sugar, about a half a cup at a time. Once the sugar is completely combined into the cream cheese and butter, add the raspberries and beat until they are mixed into the frosting and broken apart enough so that the frosting wont just have clumps of raspberry in it.

Beat for 3 to 5 minutes after everything is combined to get the frosting smooth and fluffy; if the frosting is too liquid because of the raspberries, add up to a cup of extra confectioner's sugar...the frosting will be slightly sweeter, but it will stay more firm.

Pipe with star tip, top with fresh blueberries {or other fresh fruit of your choice:)}

The day that I made these cupcakes was one of the hottest days we've had here so far this summer, so the frosting started to melt after a while. Also the juice from the raspberries didn't help with that either, so DEFINITELY throw these {don't actually throw them, c'mon guys} into the fridge immediately after you are done piping the frosting. Store your cupcakes in the fridge until you are ready to serve them. Enjoy!