Lemon Berry Cupcakes: Trial 1

My mom recently brought home a bunch of different berries from our local produce store, so I put it into my head that I wanted to use them in cupcakes.  Kind of a muffin/cupcake hybrid-why not?

Unfortunately, these bad boys didn't come out as I had hoped.  This is where I need your help!

I started with a box of lemon cake mix.  Whenever I bake with berries, I feel compelled to use lemon flavoring.  I blended the mix according to the directions, then moved on to work with the berries.

After finding out that we didn't have any blueberries, I used 1/2 cup of blackberries and 1/2 cup of raspberries.  (In hindsight, I might either only use raspberries or strain the blackberries after they've been blended.  Blackberry seeds are a bit much for me in a fluffy cupcake.)  After running the food processor with just the berries, I realized that there wasn't enough in there for the blades to kick up.  On the fly, I added some corn syrup (maybe 1/3 cup,) about 3 tbsp. white sugar.  This still didn't do it.  I didn't want to use water.  I contemplated adding some of the batter in, but I knew that I wanted to use some of the berry blend as a drizzle.  So, naturally, I grabbed the vanilla vodka.

As for concocting these things in the pan, I started with a couple spoonfuls of batter in each cup or about halfway filled.  Then I added in a teaspoon of berry mixture and swirled it in with a toothpick.  I wanted some berry goodness in the center, so I added an extra teaspoon in the center (**this is where I need help! Look for my question at the bottom!)

I covered this work with another couple spoonfuls of batter then popped them in the oven at 350 F for about 20 minutes.  (I had leftover batter after making this dozen.)

Mmm...  I let them cool a bit then removed them all from the pan to cool further, all on a wire rack.  I got anxious and wanted to see how it turned out...but, and here's the problem, the extra dollop of berry mix fell to the bottom!  :(  You can see this in the next photo where I left the wrapper in the shot.

I iced them using the butter cream recipe then drizzled the leftover berry mixture on top.  Okay... I had problems drizzling so I basically flicked the berries at the cupcakes making a gigantic mess.  The stovetop was the ultimate loser in this battle.

But they still turned out super yummy!

So, let's see if I can get some help on this.  Was it that I used alcohol in the berry mixture?  Should I bake the bottom for a little to stiffen it up then add the extra dollop?  Or will I just have to swirl it all in?  I would love any and all feedback that you can give me!  Thank you!