Apricot Cupcakes
We had the pleasure of attending a seminar called Italy in 6 glasses. I was tasked with bringing dessert, with a wine theme. These apricot cupcakes with ice wine frosting were just the trick!
A lightly spiced apricot cupake that are so easy to make and full of apricot flavour thanks to local apricot preserves. The ice wine frosting was, well “the icing on the cake”!
We are fortunate to live in “wine country” and this wonderful dessert wine is plentiful.
What is Ice Wine?
If you are not familiar with icewine, it is made from grapes that are left on the vine after the harvest season and are picked on the coldest days of the winter creating an incredibly sweet fruit. A little goes a very long way, and it is wonderful over ice cream. The frosting for this cupcake has just a hint of ice wine, but you can really taste the sweet grape flavor.
What if I want an alcohol free frosting?
An excellent substitution for ice wine would be a good quality 2 tablespoons white grape juice. It isn’t as syrupy as the ice wine, but it would still give you that sweet grape flavour. Or add a tablespoon of pure vanilla extract for a simple vanilla frosting.
What ingredient do I need to make apricot cupcakes
- butter
- sugar
- eggs
- flour
- allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg
- salt
- baking powder and baking soda
Recommended kitchen tools
- stand mixer or hand mixer and large mixing bowl
- muffin tins
- rubber spatula
- cupcake liners
How to make Ice Wine Frosting for the apricot cupcakes
For frosting, beat together 1 cup of butter and 4 cups confectioners sugar and 1/2 cup milk beat for 2 minutes. Add 3 tbsp ice wine and 1 additional cup of icing sugar and continue beating for another 1 minutes. Add 2 more cups of icing sugar, one at a time and beating 1 minute between additions.
Frost cupcakes when cool using a star tip or even just swirling with a spatula! Sprinkle with course sugar.
Apricot cupcakes with Ice Wine frosting
Equipment
- electric mixer
- muffin tins
Ingredients
- ¼ lb butter
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking poweder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 cup apricot preserves
- ¼ cup buttermilk or soured milk
Ice Wine Frosting
- 6 to 7 cups confectioners sugar
- 1 cup butter
- 3 tablespoons ice wine or white grape juice, or 1 tbsp vanilla extract for alcohol free frosting
- ½ cup milk
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin tins with paper liners.
- In the bowl of electric mixer, beat butter until creamy; add the sugar continuing to beat until fluffy. Add eggs and continue beating until well incorporated.
- In a mixing bowl whisk together dry ingredients and add to butter/sugar mixture. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Add preserves and buttermilk and mix on low speed until combined.
- Fill each of the 24 muffin tins using to approximately 3/4 full.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, checking after the first 15 minutes. Cupcakes are done when toothpick comes out clean.
For Ice Wine Frosting
- In bowl of electric mixer add 4 cups confectioners sugar, butter and milk. Beat on low, then increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes. Add ice wine (or white grape juice, or 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract for alcohol free frosting) and 1 cup of confectioners sugar and beat until well combined. Add additional confectioners sugar 1 cup at a time until desired consistency is reached.
Notes
Your friend does some excellent photography. I might have to try those cupcakes. Apricot sounds so good. I would have to change the icing though since we don’t consume wine in this house. I bet buttercream would be good on these, too though.
Katie, I think substituting the icewine with some maple syrup would make a nice frosting for this cupcake as well!
Mmm…that’s an idea! Thanks for the suggestion.
These look/sound delicious!!!
Apricots are some of my favorite fruits, but I never thought to use them in a cupcake recipe…I’ll have to try it!
Thumbs up to Heather, too!
🙂 Anna
Thank you Ladies for your kind words.