Updated June 14, 2019 (Originally posted July 3, 2017)
With the temperature heating up, I'm starting to feel excited about all the summer barbecues coming up! Anybody else fired up for the 4th of July? I made these corn cupcakes topped with corn and blackberry frosting a couple of years ago and they're one of my favorite cupcakes ever! I love fresh corn in the summer and had to incorporate it into a dessert somehow!
That's right, these corn cupcakes don't use cornmeal or corn grits. All the corniness comes from fresh corn! They taste like a fluffy and moist cornbread, and pairs so well with the tart fruity blackberries! They would be a great dessert option at your Independence Day barbecue!
Cornmeal vs Fresh corn in making cupcakes
Have you ever gotten dry, crumbly cornbread? Yeah, not my favorite either. Cornmeal can add delicious corn flavor, but I was aiming for fluff and moisture in my cupcakes so I opted out of using it.
Plus, with all the fresh corn that's now in season, it'd be such a waste not to use them! Puréed fresh corn kernels add both moisture and corn flavor to the batter. I also added some whole kernels for texture and extra corn flavor!
A good tip to ensuring these corn cupcakes stay moist: take them out onto a wire rack immediately after taking them out of the oven.
How to make corn frosting
Not only do these cupcakes have corn in the batter, but they also have corn in the buttercream frosting! The puréed corn on its own is too liquidy to add to the frosting as is. Adding something that watery into a buttercream would cause it to curdle. To avoid that, and get as much corn flavor as possible, I cooked it down to a paste in a small pan before adding it to the frosting.
I also puréed some blackberries and cooked those in a separate pan to make a blackberry paste, but I didn't mix it into the frosting. I painted stripes on the inside of the piping bag before adding the frosting.
If I had mixed the blackberry paste into the frosting, I would have gotten a light purple frosting. But by painting stripes on the inside of a piping bag and then filling it with the corn buttercream, it creates a beautiful swirled effect when piping the frosting! Top it with a blackberry, and voilà! Gorgeous cupcakes ready to serve your BBQ!
These corn cupcakes are fluffy, moist, and full of fresh sweet corn! The cupcakes pair so well with the silky buttercream, and the combination of corn and berries are delicious! Berries, in general, tend to have strong flavors, but it's not overpowering in this dessert! The dominant flavor is definitely the sweet corn! Make these corn cupcakes for your 4th of July barbecue and you won't be disappointed!
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If you're looking for another patriotic dessert fit for a BBQ, try this 4th July fruit pizza!
Want to try a different cupcake recipe? How about banana cupcakes or carrot cupcakes?
Corn Cupcakes with Corn and Blackberry Frosting
Ingredients
Corn cupcakes
- 1¾ cups (175g) cake flour
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (80ml) sour cream
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup (60ml) neutral oil
- ½ cup fresh corn kernels, puréed
- ¼ cup fresh corn kernels, whole
Corn and blackberry frosting
- 1 cup blackberries, puréed (plus 16 more for garnishing)
- ½ cup fresh corn kernels, puréed
- 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- 2 cups (250g) powdered sugar
Instructions
Corn cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 340°F/170°C, line a cupcake pan with paper liners, and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Stir in the sour cream, eggs, and oil. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the corn purée and whole corn kernels until combined.
- Fill the cupcake liners halfway and bake for 15 to 18 minutes. If you insert a toothpick and it comes out clean, they're done. Transfer them onto a wire rack immediately and let them cool completely.
Corn and blackberry frosting
- In a small pan, heat the puréed corn on medium-high heat until it forms a paste. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely. Repeat the same process with the puréed blackberries.
- In a bowl, beat the butter until fluffy and creamy. Add the corn paste and continue to beat. Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat until combined.
- Set a piping nozzle in a piping bag and paint stripes of blackberry paste on the inside of the piping bag. Put all of the frosting into the piping bag and pipe onto the cooled corn cupcakes. Garnish each cupcake with a blackberry and serve.
Monika Dabrowski says
These are so unique, I was expecting corn flour, polenta etc, not corn kernels! The icing looks delicious too:)
Ai says
Thanks, Monika!!
Debbie says
So pretty!
Ai says
Thanks, Debbie!
Jas @All that's Jas says
Oh, that's different and I love different 🙂 That frosting alone is making me drool!
Ai says
Thanks, Jas!✨
Rita says
Corn Cupcakes with Corn & Blackberry Frosting - YUM. Thanks for this Fiesta Friday. I have put the FiestaFriday badge on my site.
Ai says
Thanks Rita! Happy Fiesta Friday!
The Girl Next Door says
Oh, my! Such unique cupcakes these are! I love the idea of corn-flavoured cupcakes with corn-flavoured icing. These sure look cute too! 🙂
Ai says
Thank you! I love sweet cornbread so I had to make a cupcake version 😀
Zeba Durrani says
These are beautiful Ai. Thanks for co hosting Fiesta Friday!
Ai says
Thanks for stopping by Zeba!
Jhuls | The Not So Creative Cook says
These cupcakes are gorgeous, Ai! I love the marble effect of the frosting. Adding blackberries to the frosting is a good idea to balance the sweetness. I love anything corn so I know I would love these! Thanks for co-hosting this week's Fiesta Friday!
Kat (The Baking Explorer) says
I'm so intrigued by using corn in baking as it's not common in the UK, your cupcakes look fabulous!
Ai says
Corn is naturally sweet so I find it works beautifully in desserts!
Angie | Fiesta Friday says
Sounds so good!! And the frosting is so, so pretty! Thanks for cohosting, Ai!
Nyxie says
These look amazing! Thank you for sharing 😀