We’ve made these quick and easy fruit cupcakes numerous times this summer – they are really yummy and don’t take very long at all. If you want to make it even quicker you don’t have to ice them – just call them muffins instead!
Ingredients (to make about 12)
250g soft butter
250g golden caster sugar (you can use normal caster sugar if you don’t have golden)
4 eggs
250g self raising flour
1 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract
2 peaches/nectarines (it’s easier and less messy if they’re a little under ripe)
Heat oven to 170C
Simply cream the butter and sugar with an electric whisk (or wooden spoon if feeling energetic!), add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined, and then slowly add the flour. Once it’s all mixed in, spoon (or use an ice cream scoop – this helps the cakes be nice and even in size) the mixture into 12 cupcake cases in a cupcake pan.
Then chop up the peaches or nectarines (you can use any fruit you fancy – plums, apricots, cherries, strawberries etc would all work well) and throw away (compost!) the stones. The pieces should be fairly small, about the size of half a walnut. Poke the fruit pieces into the cupcakes until the mixture covers them. We found doing it this way, rather than mixing the fruit into the cake mixture before putting it in the cases, made a more even distribution of fruit in the cakes, and the fruit didn’t sink as much.
Cook the cupcakes for approximately 10 minutes, or until they are golden brown and a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool and make the icing if you want it!
Icing
140g soft butter
280g icing sugar
1 teaspoon good vanilla extract
Combine all the ingredients using an electric whisk (slow at first or icing sugar will go EVERYWHERE!). Put into a piping bag with a star tip if you wish and pipe on to the cakes, or you can just use a palette knife to add to the cupcakes. Then top with strawberries, cherries or whatever you fancy!
Enjoy – these don’t last long in our house!
