The secret to these mini cakes is a grapefruit. We use the zest and juice. It adds a little citrus and makes the cake quite delicious.
How to Make Mini Blueberry Cakes
To make this extra easy, you will need a vanilla cake mix. We use Betty Crocker’s French Vanilla mix. If you prefer to make this from scratch, use the batter called for in our pineapple upside down cake instead (it will make fewer cupcakes — about 12). As I mentioned above, we add the juice and zest of one grapefruit to these mini cakes. The juice replaces the water called for on the back of the cake mix box. For the blueberry topping, melt some butter in muffin cups then add brown sugar and blueberries on top. Spoon the batter into the cups, covering the blueberries. Bake the mini cakes. When they have cooled slightly invert them onto a serving plate and top with whipped cream. Back in the day we were contributors for Betty Crocker. We shared this recipe with them. We loved it so much were are happy to share it with you. Recipe updated, originally posted January 2012. Since posting this in 2012, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear. – Adam and Joanne 3/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar 2 cups fresh blueberries or frozen blueberries that have been thawed and drained Juice and grated peel of 1 medium grapefruit 1 box Betty Crocker® French vanilla cake mix Vegetable oil and eggs called for on back of cake mix box 1 cup whipped cream 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 2Place 1 piece of butter in each of 24 muffin cups then place the pan into the oven until the butter has melted. Divide the brown sugar and blueberries between muffin cups. 3Add grapefruit juice to a measuring jug that holds at least 1 cup. Fill the jug to the 1-cup line with water. (One grapefruit should create about 1 cup of juice. If you have too much, only use 1 cup. If you do not have enough, add water until you reach 1 cup). 4Add the cake mix, oil, eggs, grapefruit juice and grapefruit zest to a large bowl. Mix with a mixer on medium speed or beat vigorously by hand for 2 minutes. Pour the batter over blueberries, filling each cup three-fourths full. 5Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 17 to 22 minutes (20 to 25 minutes for dark or nonstick pan). Immediately run small knife around the sides of each cake to loosen. 6Cool in the pan, on a cooling rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the sides of cakes for a second time. Place a heatproof serving plate upside down over the pan. Turn the plate and pan over and set down for 5 minutes. Remove pan and cool 30 minutes. 7Serve the mini cakes with a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle of cinnamon on top. Store covered in refrigerator.
