Summer calls for long lazy days in the garden, sipping strawberry daiquiris and feasting on fresh fruit and ice lollies. During my last grocery trip I bought lots of summer berries and fruits; cherries, pineapple, watermelon, plums etc. I also bought a punnet of sweet juicy nectarines that I planned to incorporate into a summer cupcake recipe. The recipe below is inspired by a mixture of ideas from the lovely ladies at Cookie and Kate and marthastewart.com.
Ingredients – 150g plain flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, a pinch of salt, 1 tsp cinnamon, 80ml milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 90g unsalted butter, 150g soft light brown sugar, 2 large eggs, 3 medium nectarines, 250ml double cream & 2 tbsp of honey.
1. Preheat oven to 180c and line cupcake tin.
2. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla and slowly beat milk into the mixture.
3. In a separate bowl sift in the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
3. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and ensure all ingredients are well combined.
4. Peel 2 nectarines (peaches, plums and apricots could also be used), halve them and cube them.
5. Fill each cupcake case with a tablespoon of the mixture, a heaped tablespoon of nectarines and then cover with an additional 2 tablespoons of mixture.
6. Bake for 25 minutes until golden in colour. Once cooled slightly, remove cakes onto a cooling rack.
7. To make the topping whisk the cream and honey until thick and doubled in volume. Extra pieces of nectarine could also be added at this point.
8. Once the the cupcake are completely cool, top with cream and decorate with a slice of nectarine.
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