Cherry Vanilla Cupcakes

June arrived and the garden exploded. That's the only word for it. After the slow careful weeks of spring — the seeds, the cold frames, the cautious hope — June just goes. The lettuce bolted in the heat and I pulled it and planted summer squash and beans in its place. The tomato transplants I started in March are in and thriving. By August this will all be more than I know what to do with, and I'll be looking for anyone willing to take zucchini off my hands.

I made my first strawberry shortcake of the season with berries from the patch I've been developing over the past three years. Homegrown strawberries are so different from the ones in the store that they practically constitute a different food. These are small and irregular and intensely flavored, the sweetness almost jammy. I made a simple biscuit, whipped cream from scratch, and ate the whole thing for dinner without any apology. That's one of the compensations of living alone.

The world outside continues at a strange remove. There were protests last week across the country, cities burning, a reckoning happening that feels both urgent and somehow far away from this corner of Vermont where the news arrives delayed and muffled by hills and distance. I've been paying attention. I've been thinking about what I know and what I don't know, and trying to sit with that rather than retreat from it.

Called my grandson Teddy to see if he wanted to do a video call cooking lesson. He said yes without hesitation. We made pan-fried chicken together, me talking him through it while he cooked in Sarah's kitchen and I cooked in mine. He did well. Better than I expected. He's got good hands.

That first shortcake of the season — just me, the bowl, and those small jammy berries — reminded me how much a piece of good fruit can anchor a whole day. I wasn’t planning to bake again so soon, but with Teddy’s cooking lesson still in my head and the garden pressing forward whether I was ready or not, I wanted to make something I could share the next time we were together. These cherry vanilla cupcakes have the same honest quality I love in a shortcake: fruit, a tender crumb, and nothing unnecessary getting in the way.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 12

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk
3/4 cup fresh or frozen cherries, pitted and roughly chopped
For the frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Whole cherries, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Prep the oven. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
Whisk dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add eggs and vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine.
Alternate dry and wet. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk in two additions (flour, milk, flour, milk, flour). Mix just until combined — do not overmix.
Fold in cherries. Gently fold the chopped cherries into the batter using a spatula until evenly distributed.
Fill and bake. Divide the batter evenly among the lined muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake for 18–20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool completely. Let cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Make the frosting. Beat the softened butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sifted powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla, and salt. Beat on low until incorporated, then increase to high and beat for 2 minutes until fluffy.
Frost and garnish. Pipe or spread the vanilla buttercream onto the cooled cupcakes. Top each with a whole cherry if desired. Serve at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Cherry Vanilla Cupcakes — When Homegrown Berries Inspire Something Worth Sharing