By Renée 

Have you ever baked a dozen cupcakes, and then when you left to go get some stuff–say, pick up people, or browse a thrift shop–they were all mysteriously gone?? No? Just me? Last week, I had intended to make apricot cupcakes to share with the Blog and PVS schoolyard friends. I did make those cupcakes, but my family ate them! If this happens to you as well,  look around and use the ingredients you have to make more! I happened to have plenty of apricots and oranges lying around the kitchen. That’s what I did. And, Summer-Send-Off Cupcakes were born. What better way to send off the summer than to take advantage of its delicious seasonal ingredients–like apricots and citrus! 

These particular cupcakes are pretty easy to make, and I used a ridiculously simple frosting recipe that’s actually not mine. But, as repayment to the poor soul I stole it from, I have named this frosting recipe after her. This recipe serves about 12 cupcakes and takes about 30 minutes to an hour, but the bake time is only 15 minutes. So, without further ado, here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

• Softened butter — 1/2 cup
• Confectioners sugar — 1 cup
• Orange zest — 1 large orange (or to taste, really any citrus will do)
• Large eggs — 2
• Diced dried apricots — 1 cup
• Apricot jam — 1-2 tbsps (or to taste)
• Sea salt — 1 pinch
• Cake flour — 3 cups
• Baking powder — 3 tsp
• Whole milk —  2 cups
• Carla’s Frosting: 
  • Softened butter — 1/2 cup 
  • Confectioners sugar — 1 cup
  • Whole milk — 1/2 cup
  • Vanilla extract — 1 tsp

Procedure for baking cupcakes: 

1. Preheat oven to 380-400°F 
2. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cupcake cases 
3. Mix flour, baking powder, dried apricot, and orange zest. Add half the sugar, and mix well
4. Cream together the butter and the rest of the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well; then mix in the milk
5. Add the wet mixture into dry mixture, adding in the apricot jam and salt. Mix until the batter is thick but not overworked. *Optional: white chocolate chips can be added into batter*  
6. Spoon into the lined tin. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown
7. Leave it to cool to room temperature

Procedure for Carla’s Frosting:

• Add butter, sugar, and vanilla to a bowl and mix until desired consistency
• Scrape bowl down with a spatula, and spoon into a frosting bag
• Frost to your heart’s content

Editor: Luke Langlois