Pedicure and Blackberries

A couple of weeks back I had my first pedicure in almost 2 years.  It used to be an indulgence every couple of months, but after having my sweet pea it fell to the bottom of the list when choosing what to do with my "free time".  Things like doctor appointments, groceries and haircuts were higher up on the list.  I finally got around to treating myself to the bliss that is a pedicure and flipping through magazines without a toddler demanding that I color or play trucks with her.  I came across an article about Dorie Greenspan bloggers in O magazine and a beautiful picture of a cupcake topped with a yogurt icing and blueberry pie filling.  The picture was so simple and alluring, a golden cupcake topped with pure white icing with a deep blue-black dollop of blueberry pie filling on top.  It's cited as an adaptation of a Dorie Greenspan recipe.  With a little guilt I tore recipe the page out and slipped it into my purse; sorry future readers of that magazine, you will miss out on the last column!

That recipe has been laying on my counter since then, begging to be made, but with all that canning just didn't happen.  Until today when I got a pint of big beautiful blackberries from our CSA, they were just begging to replace that pie filling and sit atop those cupcakes.  The recipe is simple too, no mixer required.  The only step that was a bit strange was folding in a half cup of canola oil at the end, which didn't really work and I had to just flat out mix it with a whisk to get it to incorporate.  I am suspicious that the original recipe called for butter and for some reason (does Oprah ban butter in her magazine?) it was switched to canola oil.  The results were good, not great, but very pretty!

I'd like to try the original version of  her french yogurt cake to compare.  The flavors in the cake were great: fresh from the lemon zest and the ground almonds added a nice nutty flavor.  The texture was a bit dense (no mixer?).  The icing made from greek yogurt, lemon zest, vanilla and gelatin was pretty but also had a less than perfect texture.  I expected a smooth but firm icing, and it was a bit grainy from the gelatin, but that my be my fault.  I bloomed the gelatin in cold water, my package didn't have directions and I think I should have used warm water.  It was grainy going into the cold yogurt and didn't get any smoother with mixing.

Overall I like this recipe and will try it again, but I think I will beat the sugar/yogurt/eggs to get some lightness in them and then fold in the flour and oil next time, or try melted butter instead of oil.