Blackberry Mojito Cupcakes

I'm on summer break from pastry school for most of July and I knew it would give me a chance to get back in my own kitchen and do some recipe developing. One of the most frustrating things for me being at school is that I am so inspired all the time to make all kinds of new cake flavors but rarely have the time or resources to experiment. I'm still in the beginning stages of the CIA's pastry program, and the beginning is all about perfecting the classical techniques not being inventive. I know a time will come when we're allowed to be creative, but it's hard not to hit the ground running! I have a list a mile long of ideas and I'm so excited to finally be able to share a few.

The idea for this cake flavor actually came from my final assignment for my Art and Design class. We had to design and actually create a themed dessert menu that featured four original desserts. My theme was 'cupcakes and cocktails' and I paired four of my favorite cocktails with four desserts that captured the flavors.

My mom and I started growing an herb garden a few years ago and in the summertime we cut down mint like maniacs for sweet tea and mojitos. When we were assigned this project I instantly gravitated towards one of my favorite summertime treats.

The fresh and juicy blackberries I picked up at the farmer's market added the perfect tartness and color to this cupcake. They dyed the batter the perfect color without any help from artificial dyes.

The cake is light, moist and tangy from the blackberries. As they came out of the oven I brushed the tops with rum to add a little punch and be more like the drink that inspired them. 

Garnished with mint Italian buttercream, a blackberry and a freshly plucked mint leaf. These babies are here to brighten any summer party.

If this cupcake flavor tickles your fancy, click on over to my menu page for more summer flavor ideas or pin any of these pictures to your Pinterest board (just press that super cute little button that pops up when you scroll over a photo) so you can revisit again and again.