Vanilla & blackberry cupcakes...

Who doesn't like a little treat with their cup of tea or coffee? Well...? I strongly believe that such person doesn't exist ;) I often make cupcakes/muffins at home for many reasons: a.) they are quick and easy to make with my 2 little sous chefs, b.) they fit perfectly into my lunch box c.) if you add fruit or use wholemeal flour etc. you can have that feeling that you're eating "healthy". There are many more reasons why you should bake in general - you know exactly what has gotten into it, the end product won't get much fresher than that and you're making exactly what you like and will enjoy eating :) Back to today's recipe - what to do with a box full of freshly picked blackberries...? Apart from a delicious cobbler that is! Bake! They're not very "watery" fruit so won't give away much liquid during baking (which can easily ruin your whole bake...) and their quite strong taste won't get "lost" either (even if you're using only little of them). Vanilla goes well with all kind of fruits, but I think it's particularly nice with the sharper ones like blackberries.

How to make it...

Ingredients:
- 110 g butter or margarine, softened at room temperature

- 110 g caster sugar

- 2 eggs, lightly beaten

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 110 g self-raising flour

- 1-2 tablespoons milk

- 1 cup of blackberries

Preheat the oven to 180 C and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases. Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale. Beat in the eggs a little at a time and stir in the vanilla extract. Fold in the flour using a large metal spoon, adding a little milk until the mixture is of a dropping consistency. Gently fold in the blackberries - they will change the colour of your batter for light violet, so don't worry. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until they are half full. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until golden-brown on top and a skewer inserted into one of the cakes comes out clean. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve.

Smacznego!

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