The Arlésienne Cupcakes

Hello again,

My apologies for the lack of posts in the last couple of weeks. I was away on holiday with no opportunities to cook, but plenty to eat good food. The freshness and deliciousness of Greek food is leaving me hungry for more, although I certainly ate more than my fair share while I was there.

Upon my return, I wanted to bake something light and summery, so I leafed through my favorite cupcake book: Cupcakes Galore by Gail Wagman. It was a birthday gift from my boyfriend two years ago, and I am still discovering new recipes.

I chanced upon The Arlésienne cupcakes, which are inspired by the summer fruits and flavors from Arles in France: apricots, raspberries, and almonds.

The batter was standard, if a bit thick, and almond-flavored. I love using almond extract, it has such a sweet scent to it. Then, we added chopped dried apricots and ground almonds to get more of that delicious summery taste.

And then, the cupcake came together with fresh apricot for a topping, with raspberry jam nestled in the hollow, and a peeled almond.

Something I love about these summery cupcakes is the lack of overly sweet icing. While icing on a cupcake can be such a delight at a special occasion, in the winter with a cup of hot chocolate, or a glass of milk; in the summer it’s just too sweet. Of course, the apricots shriveled slightly in the cooking process, and the jelly ran a bit, but even a day later, they still taste delicious.

All this writing about cupcakes has made me hungry for one- time to skedaddle! ^_^