Jubilee Blueberry, Elderflower and White Chocolate Cupcakes

I really wanted to make something that seemed seasonal, and blueberries are so appealing at the moment, so they had to be part of the baking. Elderflowers too should be in season now, but I haven't yet seen very many out in bloom near me - I think they're delayed this year, but elderflower cordial is a great way of adding concentrated elderflower flavour to cupcakes, and finally, chocolate, just because I like chocolate and I could! I decided on white chocolate because I felt it would complement the other flavours much better than the more robust flavour of my usually preferred dark chocolate, since white chocolate is more subtly flavoured.

I couldn't resist decorating these with red, white and blue sprinkles, but they aren't OTT - sure to please those who want a nod at the Jubilee celebrations but can't quite bring themselves to eat a mouthful of bright blue or bright red cake!!! Here, less is definitely more.

Blueberry, Elderflower and White Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
175g unsalted butter, softened
175g caster sugar
3 eggs
100g self raising flour
75g plain flour
60g blueberries
80g white chocolate, chopped
35g elderflower cordial (approx 2tbsp)
pinch salt

Icing
about 150g icing sugar. I used mostly fondant icing sugar, just for an experiment
more elderflower cordial (about a tbsp, I didn't measure)
hot water

Method
- Preheat the oven to gas 4/180C. Line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper liners.
- Cream together the butter, pinch of salt and sugar until very light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well inbetween additions. Add a little flour if the mixture curdles, but for once mine didn't!
- Add the flours and fold in gently but thoroughly.
- Fold in the elderflower cordial, blueberries and white chocolate.
- Divide between the muffin cases and bake for 25-30 minutes until risen and golden.
- Allow to cool on a wire rack.

- When cool ice with the icing sugar made up with elderflower and water to a very thick but still spreadable consistency. Spread over the cakes, and then sprinkle with your choice of decorations.

These are very generous cupcakes! I realised as I was dividing the batter that they were going to be pretty enormous and indeed they are. They are nice and moist - close but in no way heavy. The blueberries provide a lovely little hit of flavour when you bite into one. The white chocolate adds the occasional mouthful of intense sweetness. I have to confess that I couldn't taste the elderflower cordial flavour in the cake itself at all, but it came through well in the icing - it wasn't overpowering but the flavour developed and you finished a mouthful with the taste of elderflower.

Very good, and not all of the blueberries fell to the bottom! (This always pleases me!) These would be a sure-fire crowd pleaser for anyone on a Jubilee picnic, and the decoration is subtle enough to not enrage those who are fed up with red, white and blue everywhere. (Not me, I'm loving this and smile whenever I see bunting up, but haven't yet translated this to baking!)