Blueberry Cup Cakes

Seven ingredients, one bowl, no mixer required. These blueberry cupcakes are about as straightforward as baking gets. Shortening, flour, sugar, milk, a beaten egg, vanilla, and two full cups of blueberries all get mixed together and scooped into muffin tins.

The simplicity here is the point. No creaming step, no separating eggs, no alternating additions. Just mix and bake. The shortening gives these a tender, slightly denser crumb than butter-based cupcakes, and the generous amount of blueberries means every bite has fruit in it.

Two cups of berries in this amount of batter is a high ratio. The cupcakes will be studded with fruit throughout, and some berries on the surface will split open and caramelize slightly in the heat. That’s a good thing.

Pro Tips

• Toss the blueberries with a tablespoon of flour before folding them in. The coating helps them stay suspended in the batter instead of sinking to the bottom.
• Fill muffin cups about two-thirds full. These rise modestly and overfilling means mushroom tops.
• Check at 18 minutes. A toothpick should come out clean, though berry spots will look moist.
• These are best the day they’re baked. The berries release moisture overnight and soften the texture.

Variations

• Lemon glaze: Drizzle cooled cupcakes with a simple glaze of powdered sugar and lemon juice for a tart-sweet finish.
• Streusel top: Before baking, sprinkle each cupcake with a pinch of brown sugar, flour, and butter crumble for a coffee cake twist.