If you like boozy baked goods, this cupcake is for you. They have a good amount of amaretto in it, combined with crunchy amarettini. Since those two ingredients are almond-based, they pair perfectly with apricots, which are also in the dough and the frosting. Of course you can use apricot juice instead of the amaretto.
I haven't made cupcakes for a while, since I often find the frosting too heavy. This one is made with mascarpone, which is by no means light, but the fruit puree gives it a bit of an airy taste.
Amaretti-Apricot Cupcakes
(makes 12 cupcakes)
Dough:
1 small can apricot halves (about 240 g)
125 g amarettini
60 g pine-nuts, coarsely chopped
200 g flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 pkg. caramel custard powder (e.g. Dr. Oetker Gala)
100 g brown sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
75 ml vegetable oil (e.g. canola)
125 ml amaretto (or apricot juice)
Topping:
250 g mascarpone
25 g sugar
1 tbsp. amaretto (or apricot juice)
Strain the apricots and cut half of them in small cubes. Reserve the other half for the topping. Keep 12 amarettini for decoration and put the rest of them in a zip-lock bag. With a rolling pin crush the amarettini coarsely.
For the dough combine the flour, baking powder and custard powder in a mixing bowl. Add sugar, vanilla extract, eggs, oil and amaretto. With a mixer start mixing slow then on higher speed for about 2 minutes, until you get a smooth dough. With a spatula fold in the amarettini crumbs, pine nuts and apricot pieces. Fill the dough in the prepared muffin pan and bake for about 25 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
For the topping puree the remaining apricots. Mix together with the mascarpone, sugar and amaretto until smooth. Fill into a pastry bag with a star tip and pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. Top each cupcake with an amarettini.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180° Celsius). Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners.
For the dough combine the flour, baking powder and custard powder in a mixing bowl. Add sugar, vanilla extract, eggs, oil and amaretto. With a mixer start mixing slow then on higher speed for about 2 minutes, until you get a smooth dough. With a spatula fold in the amarettini crumbs, pine nuts and apricot pieces. Fill the dough in the prepared muffin pan and bake for about 25 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
For the topping puree the remaining apricots. Mix together with the mascarpone, sugar and amaretto until smooth. Fill into a pastry bag with a star tip and pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. Top each cupcake with an amarettini.
Enjoy and Guten Appetit!
