Red White and Blueberry Upside Down Cupcakes

Moist and simple, but with a fresh twist! An upside down cupcake is quick but has a very special twist! White cake mixed with red food coloring and a blueberry layer make a unique treat for the Fourth of July (or when the US was still in the World Cup....sad!). As seen on Photograzing. 

red white and blueberry upside down cupcake

Watching the World Cup has been so intense. Between  BAD calls in the Germany vs. England game or the two goals scored back to back within minutes by Argentina I had been biting my nails! I made these cupcakes for a US game watching party...its a shame that the results were not equally good. The cupcakes were lovely, the soccer scores were not. I think the US was far too dependent on Donovan...but I'm a baker, not a sports analyst. I know food...and is it me or did the Ghana team uniforms look like like a McDonald's commercial circa 1987. Everytime I saw a close up of the red and yellow uniforms I just couldn't help but wonder if they wanted fries with that goal.

I'm not going to pretend these are a fancy cupcake. They were the product of 45 minutes of time between a camping trip and game time. I confess, I used a mix again. If you're looking to color cakes red (the most daunting color) I recommend using Wilton's No Taste Red and lots of it! I split the mix in half and added more than a teaspoon of the dye. It's a tough color to reach. For some reason red dye's just don't behave the same as the rest. If you are looking for blue dye, Wilton also makes a very nice Royal Blue, which is a perfect USA blue instead of the bright blues you'll tend to get with other dyes.

Hopefully your cupcakes turn out just as well...though you might have to use the blueberry upside down cupcakes to cheer on Brazil instead.

red white and blue cupcakes

Red White and Blueberry Upside Down Cupcakes

1/3 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 white cake mix
1 cup blueberries
water, oil and eggs according to cake mix instructions
Wilton White Dye
Wilton Red No Taste Dye

Preheat oven to 325.

Line two cupcakes tins with liners.

Melt the butter in a small pan over medium low heat. Add sugar and continue to cook for five minutes.

Mix cake mix. Add water. Mix. Add Oil. Mix. Add egg whites one at a time, mixing after each addition.

Split the cake batter in two. Add White dye to one half and red dye to the other half. (The white dye does make a  noticeable difference).

Divide the butter and sugar mixture between the cupcake liners. Add about 7 or 8 blueberries to each cupcake liner. Spoon the white cake batter over the blueberries. Top with red cake batter.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Allow to cool for five minutes before attempting to invert.

Enjoys!

Berries N' Cream Pavlova

Continuing in my parade of red white and blue desserts in preparation for the Fourth of July I've made a patriotic pavlova!  The fluffy meringue is a wonderfully light summer dessert. The marshmallow consistency can be accented by any fruits or toppings you like! I love berries and cream! As seen on Photograzing and and part Cook and Tell. 

berries and cream pavlova

With Independence Day coming up I thought I'd do a little mini series of red, white and blue desserts! I started out with the cherry pie and now this gorgeous pavlova! 


It's been a bit of a long week. Thankfully my intern is now working half days instead of one day a week! It makes such a difference to have the extra helping hand. I've been backed up on some reports to do and now I have actually been able to get on in a day! I was even able to get off for the weekend a little early and get in some Friday afternoon baking! Interns are wonderful. 

Berries N' Cream Pavlova

3 egg whites

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

1 cup whipped cream

1 pint blueberries

1 pint raspberries

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

Put egg whites in a stand mixer. Mix until they hold soft peaks. While the mixer is still running on a medium speed, add in the sugar one tablespoon at a time. Add in the cornstarch. Beat until the meringue holds very stiff peaks. 

Spread the meringue in a circle onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. I prefer to either fill a spring form pan and then remove it, or trace a circle on the underside of the parchment paper.

Bake for roughly one hour, or until the outside is dry, and a pale cream color. Turn the oven off, leave the door slightly ajar and allow the meringue to cool completely.

The cooled meringue can be stored in an airtight container for a few days.

To serve garnish with whipped cream and berries. Serve within 3-6 hours of garnishing. 

Enjoy!