Thursday 5 September 2013

Blackberry and Sage Cheesecake Cupcakes


Dear readers,


Blackberries have been available all over the place and I thought it would be a shame not to include them in a recipe, especially since they are abundant and free! I wanted to make something which would encourage the gorgeous juices of the blackberries to run and show off their colour, so I decided on a cheesecake cupcake.


As always, I like to create recipes with unusual flavour combinations. I especially like adding herbs to sweet treats because they can create very intriguing flavour combinations even though they are more commonly used in savoury recipes. I wandered around the garden and came across sage. I have seen a couple of sage and blackberry recipes before, so decided to go for it. One could call these "foraged cupcakes" since both the blackberries and the sage have been foraged. But I'm sure that there are plenty of other "foraged cupcake" flavour combinations out there!

 
Blackberry and Sage Cheesecake Cupcakes
2 medium eggs
100g caster sugar
100g self raising flour
100g butter
8 sage leaves, finely chopped140g cream cheese
60g caster sugar
1 medium egg
75g blackberries

Cream together the sugar and butter, then add the flour and eggs and whisk. Mix in the finely chopped sage leaves and fill the cupcake cases up by two thirds.
 
Whisk together the cream cheese, sugar and egg then stir in the blackberries. Add a tablespoonful of the cheesecake mixture with the blackberries on top of the cupcake mix and bake at 180°C for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown, depending on the size of the cupcakes.
 
Unfortunately, most of the cheesecake mixture migrated to the bottom and the sides of the cupcake which left the gorgeous purple colours to only be seen through the cases! I'm glad that I used white cases so that the colours of the blackberries were visible. However, once one opens the case, the gorgeous purples are unveiled to reveal their true colours!
 
These cupcakes had an interesting mix of reviews. Some found the sage flavour quite dominant, while others thought that it was very subtle. Personally, I think that they have just the right amount of sage, but the recipe can be adjusted according to one's taste!

12 comments:

  1. That is a very unusual flavour combination. Wild blackberries are in a league of their own flavour wise. The photographs are stunning too. I am definitely not a forager and would possibly end up poisoning myself and hubby too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. These look really delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've never combined sage and blackberries before but it sounds lovely. I've certainly got plenty of both nearby.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Hazel,

    I love sage but never use it for sweet baking before. Your muffins with sage, cream cheese
    and blackberry sounds wonderful!

    Zoe

    ReplyDelete
  5. I hate cupcakes, but that's mostly because of saccharine sweet glazing. These ones, however, look right up my street.

    ReplyDelete
  6. These cupcakes are classic Hazel fare...unique flavor combination and beautiful! In the last photo, the bottom cupcake looks like a smiling face:)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I would never have thought to put sage in there. They look beautiful and delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Exquisite! Those cupcakes are fabulous. I cannot resist baked goods that contain blackberries.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sage! WHo would have thought! Can't wait to try this new combination out. And you are right, blackeberries are everywhere now, in fact on the way to work is a road lined with a row of blackberry bushes. I've been picking them and nibbling on the way to work and contemplating bringing a bag along next to bring some home- and when I do, these cupcakes would be perfect!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh my goodness, these look GREAT!! The combination of ingredients is intriguing!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for visiting! I love hearing from you.