Apricot-Glazed Almond Cupcakes

We had a games night (CATAN) with some friends a few weeks ago, and though it was more beer-themed than anything (our hosts had recently come back from Vermont, and who knew, it's big on the craft beer scene) we had some good food to coat our stomachs - pizza made by the hosts, guac with mango and pomegranate seeds from the other guests (amazing!) and cheese from us. And me being me, I brought cupcakes. I've already mentioned the amazing Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, my main go-to for cupcakes, vegan or not. This Apricot-Glazed Almond Cupcake recipe is on p. 89, and I just so happened to have apricot jam in the fridge and was already thinking of almond cupcakes - fate! FYI I used dairy, not soy products.

The batter itself is pretty simple. In a large bowl, mix 1/3 cup oil, 3/4 cup sugar (I usually use a bit less), 1/4 cup (soy) yogurt, 2/3 cup (soy/almond) milk, 1 tsp vanilla, and 2 tsp almond extract. Then sift in 1 cup + 2 Tbsp flour, 1.5 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and a pinch of salt. Mix, then stir in 1/3 c almond meal (I love things with almond meal). Because of the yogurt the batter was thicker than some in the book, and I hoped it would be thick enough for the next step. After filling the muffin cups 2/3 full, place 1/2 tsp apricot preserves (is this jam? I just used jam) on top of each cupcake.

Some of you may remember my somewhat failed attempt at putting jam in the middle of cupcakes (hint: it didn't work) but I hoped, since the jam here was on the very top of a thicker batter, it wouldn't fall to the bottom. Bake for 24-26 minutes @350. You also get to make a fruit glaze for these ones, instead of icing. In a small pot, place 1/2 cup apricot preserves with 1 Tbsp water over medium-low heat. Bring to boil, stirring often, and boil for 1 minute. Then turn the heat off and stir for another 30 seconds. To be honest it didn't really make much of a difference, other than warming the jam so it was spreadable - was it supposed to thicken? Either way, after the cakes had cooled I brushed the glaze over them and then garnished with sliced almonds.

So these were quite nice. The cake was thick and dense, and the apricot glaze was sticky but sweet and gave it a nice fruity kick. Definitely something a little different but for me, who makes cupcakes too much to make full buttercream icing each time, it's a nice recipe to keep for next time. I'd toast the almonds, since I was too lazy this time, and maybe try different fruit jams. I bet blueberry would be delicious.