White Chocolate Blackberry Frosting

I have been making cupcakes and frosting since as long as I can remember, but my love for baking these little cupcake beauties didn't really start until my husband was in law school and I had more time to play around with the flavors. I fell hard for the cupcake, and love making them to this day almost every weekend for cake/cupcake orders. 

I rarely, though, share my recipes. Why? I like to keep the mystery alive in my baking! I like to have the magical recipe that works every time, that makes people's mouths water, and keeps them coming back for more. However... 

I don't want to be a frosting hog, man. 

Then I realized, that it's kind of more fun to share. I want you all to be successful bakers and chefs in your own family kitchens! Because after all, no matter how many of my cupcake frosting recipes I share (and even the cupcake base recipe I always, always, always, use - maybe someday), they'll still be my favorite things to bake. Sharing the recipe doesn't make them any less fun for me to make! So, over the next little while, I'll be sneaking some of my favorite tried-a-million-times-over-and-true recipes for cupcake frosting right your way. If you're a big-time blogger and you put this on your website after making and fall in love with them hard core, I might just cry my eyes out because then no one will find my version of the recipe. waahh! These are my treasures. Really. 

This white chocolate blackberry frosting has been my pet for a while, and I've changed the recipe a little here and there to make it better each and every time. Most of it is by taste. My husband is the ultimate taste-tester. Sometimes I get sick of tasting frosting! Well, not tasting it... more like getting sick of taste-testing it. I've learned quickly, though, that a toothpick inserted in the frosting will give you enough of a taste to figure out what the frosting needs. My husband thinks this tastes like berry sorbet or ice cream, and I think he's right! THIS STUFF IS AMAZING, I'm telling you. 

The recipe below is very by-taste-ear-eye, etc. I never ever ever ever look at a recipe for my frostings and cupcakes. So hopefully this version I wrote down will do. Trust your gut when making this - if it looks like it needs more powdered sugar, do it. Less? Add more of the ganache or berry puree. It's all up to you and what you're using the frosting for. Enjoy, friends! 

White Chocolate Blackberry Frosting

makes enough for 24 cupcakes frosted high, or 32 rosettes/flat cupcakes

ingredients:

1 C whole fresh blackberries

1/2 C heavy cream

1/4 C white chocolate chips

2 sticks of butter, cold

2-3 t pure vanilla extract

1/2 t raspberry or blackberry extract

*optional: 1/4 t almond extract

pinch of salt 

6-8 C powdered sugar

method:

1. Puree fresh blackberries in a food processor. Strain through a fine mesh sieve if you don't want any little seeds in the frosting. I've made it both ways, and it hasn't been a problem either way. Set aside.

2. Place heavy cream in a glass bowl and microwave for 30-45 seconds, until steaming. Add in white chocolate chips, let sit for 1-2 minutes until chocolate chips are melted, then stir until uniform. Set aside. 

3. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix butter sticks together until it's all creamy and there are zero tiny lumps. Add in extracts and pinch of salt. Add in about 1/4 C pureed blackberries & 1/4 C white chocolate ganache mixture. Mix in thoroughly. 

4. With a cover over the mixer (flour guard) slowly add in the powdered sugar, 1/2 C at a time, until your consistency is stiff enough to pipe (when I stop the mixer and see no movement or drooping, I know I'm there or getting close). Add more of the blackberry puree if you want it thinner and have added all the powdered sugar. 

*refrigerate covered in a sealed cardboard box or sealed plastic container until 15 minutes before eating. It keeps the cupcakes fresh without drying out, and keeps the frosting stiff and lovely until right before everyone digs in. 

Recipe source: Baking with Blondie