Apricot Cakes when I Feel Lazy — Des gâteaux à l’abricot quand je suis fainéante

August 8, 2006

The Dilemna of an Empty Fridge

I sometimes get up in the morning and despite a real desire to cook or bake something, the last thing that I want to do is to go grocery shopping. Too much hassle. Too many people. I just want to stay away from crowds and traffic. Yet the baking craving is here and I desperately look for something to cook. It happened the other day when I had hardly anything in the fridge. Presque vide ! (Almost empty). I had to find a simple recipe that would take nothing to make. It would fulfill the baking crave and the lazy mood I was in.

And then I realized that the days are going by this summer, and I have not yet cooked anything with one of my favorite summer fruit. I could think I like apricots because of their nice rich orange/yellow color, but it also has to do with the fact that I think it is a pretty difficult fruit to get right. If not ripe enough, the flesh of the fruit is hard and lacks sugar, and the taste becomes acidic. Too ripe and it gets very quickly dark and like, well, hard to describe, isn’t it? Apricots are like this. To get them exactly perfect in taste is a hard call. Most of the time, if they are bought in regular stores, I find that they are hard, unripe and lacking flavor. Just as if they did not have enough sun and had been picked too early. In fact, buying them from a local market is the way to go. Better even if picked from the trees, but we are not lucky to all have apricot trees growing in our gardens. When I was young, the only jam that I liked was my mum’s homemade apricot jam — as I was not fond of jams generally speaking, and don’t ask me why! Her jam was just sweet enough, and had plenty of big chunky apricot pieces. The bigger the pieces were and the happier I was.

Before trying something too complicated with apricots in view of my lazy mood, I thought of making simple individual apricot cakes, looking like a hybrid between muffins and cupcakes. The apricots inside the cake bring a delicious moist texture that maybe this type of cake might lack at times. All appropriate in summer when I feel like eating fruit tarts and desserts that are not too sweet. While the cakes cook, the apricots “disappear” inside (depending on how deep you push them in!) so that if you forget that they are there, you are quickly reminded when you have a first bite in the cake. Light and delicious.

Tea or coffee for anyone?

Apricot Teacakes

(for about 10 to 12 mini cakes)

You need:

  • 1 cup flour
  • 100 g butter
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup fine sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • Fresh apricots (about 4 or so, depending on the size)
  • Lemon juice and confectioner’s sugar

Steps:

  • Preheat your oven at 350 F.
  • Mix the soft butter and the sugar together until creamy.
  • Add one egg at a time and mix well. Sift the flour and baking powder separately.
  • Add them to your preparation and mix well.
  • Then add the milk and vanilla extract.
  • Slice the apricots and squeeze some lemon juice of top.
  • Take little paper cups and fill up to 2/3 up.
  • Add a few slices of apricots on top, and press them slightly in.
  • Place in the oven for about 20 to 25 mns. They are cooked when the blade of a knife comes out dry. Let cool down.
  • Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar and enjoy!

Tip: I place my paper cups in “stiff” molds sot that they keep a nice shape. I also use a stand mixer with paddle attachment to mix the ingredients.

Le coin français
Petits gâteaux à l’abricot

(pour environ 10 à 12 gâteaux)

Ingrédients :

  • 125 g de farine
  • 100 g de beurre
  • 1 càc levure chimique
  • 1 càc d’extrait de vanille
  • 60 ml de lait
  • 100 g de sucre
  • 2 gros oeufs
  • Abricots (environ 4 selon la taille)
  • Jus de citron et sucre glace

Étapes :

  • Préchauffez votre four à 180 C.
  • Mélangez le beurre pommade avec le sucre jusqu’à l’obtention d’une crème.
  • Ajoutez un oeuf apres l’autre et mélangez bien à chaque fois. Tamisez la farine et la levure chimique.
  • Ajoutez-les à votre preparation et mélangez bien.
  • Ajoutez ensuite le lait et l’extrait de vanille.
  • Lavez les abricots et coupez-les en tranches. Citronnez-les.
  • Répartissez votre pâte entre des petits moules en papier que vous remplissez aux 2/3.
  • Placez quelques tranches d’abricots dans chaque gâteau et enfoncez-les légèrement.
  • Mettez-les au four pendant 20 mns. Ils sont cuits une fois que la lame d’un couteau ressort sèche des gâteaux.
  • Saupoudrez-les de sucre glace et dégustez.

Conseil : Je mets mes moules en papier dans des moules rigides pour qu’ils gardent une belle forme.

And what is this one doing here when we speak of Apricots?

Confession: I had a few raspberries left, so they quickly found a home here.

Tagged as: Breakfast , Cakes , Dessert , Fruit
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47 Comments »

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  1. Bea,
    I think you are the last person anyone would call lazy! Gorgeous new recipes and photos just about every day! I really love the first photo, the composition is beautiful! You are increasing my camera envy every day!

    Comment by Anita — On August, 8th, 2006 at 12:01 pm

  2. You always have a lovely collection of feast for the eyes. I love visiting your site. =)

    Comment by Jacelyn — On August, 8th, 2006 at 12:24 pm

  3. Ohhh..should’ve mixed the raspberries and the apricots :)

    Comment by Jeff — On August, 8th, 2006 at 12:59 pm

  4. I don’t have camera envy. I have Bea-envy. I have the camera, no problem, I just don’t have the unique skills and patience to create the beautiful pictures that Bea seems to produce with ease.

    Comment by sam — On August, 8th, 2006 at 1:07 pm

  5. And you feel lazy ! Waou, what do you do when you feel dynamic !

    Comment by Fabienne — On August, 8th, 2006 at 1:35 pm

  6. this is what you produce when you’re lazy? i think i’d be happy with your kind of lazy.

    Comment by Vanessa — On August, 8th, 2006 at 1:50 pm

  7. Very nice photo…and you aren’t so lazy!
    you help me to improve my english!

    Comment by Chantal33 — On August, 8th, 2006 at 2:40 pm

  8. This Apricot-CupCake-Muffins are …lazily tempting… Les photos , Bea me laissent de plus en plus …”sans voix”.
    Une jolie théière ma foi me fait un clin d’oeil…

    Comment by Gamelle — On August, 8th, 2006 at 2:59 pm

  9. Béa, I would love tea with mine this afternoon and coffee tomorrow morning.
    I should be so lazy.
    It is true. Apricots maybe one of the hardest fruits to get right but when they are they are heaven.
    A cross between a cake and a muffin - yummy.
    Thanks once again.

    Comment by Tanna — On August, 8th, 2006 at 3:30 pm

  10. Tes photos sont magnifiques.
    Aujourd’hui je suis tellement fainéante que j’ai même pas l’envie de faire un gateau, alors je te tire mon chapeau.

    Comment by Grignote et Barbotine — On August, 8th, 2006 at 4:01 pm

  11. Agghh..you and Ivonne and Spittoon Extra are killing me with fabulous apricot goodies! And this is the first year our tree has not produced any! Thanks for the inspiration - I will have to shop.

    Comment by Catherine — On August, 8th, 2006 at 4:37 pm

  12. I absolutely love your photos, Bea. They are gorgeous and I’ve fallen in love with all of them. No matter what kind of mood I’m in when I visit your site, I leave wanting, no needing, to bake something! And these look delicious!

    Comment by Natalia — On August, 8th, 2006 at 5:39 pm

  13. Quelle merveille encore une fois.

    Comment by Papilles&Pupilles — On August, 8th, 2006 at 5:48 pm

  14. I sometimes feel lazy to go grocery shopping to. These little cakes are so cute!

    Comment by Kat — On August, 8th, 2006 at 5:51 pm

  15. These look wonderful! I grew up with an apricot tree in our yard and homemade apricot jam in the pantry. I know what you mean about the difficulty of finding good apricots, but it’s definitely worth the effort :-)

    Comment by Nicole — On August, 8th, 2006 at 6:44 pm

  16. Just look at those little beauties … waiting for me to eat them all!

    Comment by Ivonne — On August, 8th, 2006 at 7:07 pm

  17. Je veux avoir des accès des paresses comme ça ! A voir tes superbes gâteaux, la paresse n’est plus un peché mais une grande qualité !

    Comment by Manouche — On August, 8th, 2006 at 7:13 pm

  18. J’aime quand tu es fainéante!
    Le résultat est ravissant en tout cas :)
    A bientôt

    Comment by ooishigal — On August, 8th, 2006 at 8:56 pm

  19. Je seconde tout à fait le propos de ooishigal!

    Comment by Ninnie — On August, 8th, 2006 at 10:11 pm

  20. C’est superbe et innatendu, bravo ! j’adore le petit ruban vert autour de tes muffins !

    Comment by mercotte — On August, 8th, 2006 at 10:44 pm

  21. superbe recette! l’abricot est aussi mon fruit préféré (avec les framboises…), j’essaierai ta recette! merci!

    Comment by peggy — On August, 8th, 2006 at 11:43 pm

  22. wow, even when you are feeling lazy, you do a marvellous job!

    I was also lazy today, i made scones out of some leftover currants and some oranges.

    Comment by jenjen — On August, 9th, 2006 at 2:38 am

  23. Si être “lazy” donnait un tel résultat à chaque fois ! Je voudrais être the Lazy Queen !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wonderful post _

    Comment by elodie — On August, 9th, 2006 at 2:52 am

  24. This what you do when you feel LAZY??!!! At first I thought it was something that you threw together when you felt like taking a break! I am just amazed!! ;-)

    Comment by rowena — On August, 9th, 2006 at 3:35 am

  25. Charmants petits gâteaux à déguster avec le thé… Et pics as usual!

    Comment by Mitsuko — On August, 9th, 2006 at 3:35 am

  26. admirable !!! les photos sont ravissantes.

    Comment by MlleGudule-Anne — On August, 9th, 2006 at 4:07 am

  27. Quelles petites beautes Bea, encore une jolie trouvaille.

    Comment by Gracianne — On August, 9th, 2006 at 4:23 am

  28. et voila c’est ds le four mais en version nectarine pax… lazy to run to the shop! I’m sure there’ll be some happy faces this afternoon when the kids will be home.

    Thanks a million Bea ! I always enjoy visiting your blog.

    Amicalement,
    Corinne

    Comment by corinne — On August, 9th, 2006 at 5:18 am

  29. Your recipes attract attention, for sure ! Yet I think the photos are even more extraordinary. beautiful !What kind of camera do you use ?

    Comment by catherine — On August, 9th, 2006 at 9:15 am

  30. Only a Frenchwoman could tie up a cake so pretty. You’ve all had so much practice with those Hermès scarves!

    Comment by David — On August, 9th, 2006 at 11:06 am

  31. I think ‘les petits rubans’ are becoming one of your signature as well as the dusted icing sugar.
    Lovely pics.
    Fanny

    Comment by fanny — On August, 9th, 2006 at 12:35 pm

  32. Those are absolutely adorable. I like baking tiny cakes in those “stiff molds” too. But sometimes it’s a bit difficult to get the cake out of the cup!

    Comment by Mary — On August, 9th, 2006 at 3:03 pm

  33. even when you’re lazy you produce works of art. brava!

    Comment by Connie — On August, 9th, 2006 at 4:39 pm

  34. superbe résultat et j’adore aussi les petits rubans verts. Vos paper cups sont bien plus mignons que les notres.

    Comment by bonheursdesophie — On August, 9th, 2006 at 6:24 pm

  35. Anita, thanks. I can be lazy believe me !;-) I know you would love the camera!

    Jacelyn, thanks a lot

    Jeff, great idea!

    Sam, thank you my dear! I work at getting inspired. A full time job! ;-) If I cannot speak English so well, at least I can cook somehow ;-)

    Fabienne, ahah, indeed! Une vrai tempête !

    Vanessa, the cakes were very easy so it did not require too much thinking!

    Chantal, I am glad!

    Gamelle, merci bien. Très gentil à toi! Mais je ne veux pas te voler ta voix, quand même!

    Tanna, thanks again!

    Grignote et Barbotine, merci de ton passage!

    Catherine, ahah, a good reason for it. I had seen Yvonne’s tempting cakes ;-)

    Natalia, thanks a lot. I am happy to hear you enjoy your visits.

    ANne, merci

    Kat, thanks, Indeed grocery shopping is sometimes a drag, isn’t it?

    Nicole, ah nice and good for you about the trees. Where did you grow up?

    Ivonne, I distributed them at P’s work ;-)

    Manouche, ahha, c”est une bonne idée de nouveau proverbe.

    Ooishigal et Ninnie, merci à toutes les deux !

    Mercotte, ah oui, comme dit Fanny plus bas, signature ;-) je m’amuse.

    Peggy, ah tes péchés sont pardonnés !

    JenJen, I want to see what lovely creations you made!

    Elodie, chiche !

    Rowena, ahah no really they are easy and forgiving!

    Mitsuko, merci

    MlleGudule-Anne, merci.

    Gracianne, quand l’estomac parle, on a de l’imagination, pas vrai ?

    Corinne, j’espère qu’ils vont aimer ! Merci de ton mot ! J’ai vu que tu faisais des confitures ! Super !

    Catherine, I shot those with a Canon 30D, my new camera.

    Ah David, mais oui ! I did not think about this. You are such an observer! Maybe you should send me one!

    Fanny, well seen tu as raison! ;-)

    Mary, what I do is take the tip of a knife and pull slightly on it, and it works great. I actually use a cool popover mold that has 6 molds tied together.

    Connie, thank you!

    Sophie, merci ! Ah c’est vrai pour les paper cups ? Ils sont comment en France ?

    Comment by Béa — On August, 9th, 2006 at 9:45 pm

  36. Quelle plaisir de passer chez toi, Béa, ils sont vraiment trop mignons tes petits gateaux !

    Comment by Marmitedecathy — On August, 10th, 2006 at 3:31 am

  37. Bea,
    I always think apricot is one of the most delicious and pretty fruit, and your cakes make this fruit even prettier! Hey, I love your tea set!

    Comment by gattina — On August, 10th, 2006 at 3:31 am

  38. On n’est JAMAIS fainéante : on a parfois autre chose à faire ! En tous cas ces petits gâteaux font vraiment vraiment envie ! Et merci pour le lien ;-) ! Il m’a permis de découvrir ton blog très sympa et superbe ! Je reviendrai

    Comment by Leelooo — On August, 10th, 2006 at 12:14 pm

  39. bea - you showcase the fruits of summer in such a special way…thank you

    Comment by doodles — On August, 11th, 2006 at 7:11 pm

  40. Merci Cathy! Ravie que cela te plaise !

    Gattina, thanks a lot!

    Merci de ton passage Leeloo. Je me regale en allant chez toi !

    Thanks Doodles! Nice of you

    Comment by Béa — On August, 12th, 2006 at 8:18 am

  41. oh bea, i can’t imagine you EVER feeling lazy!! these are just lovely.

    Comment by Krysten — On August, 12th, 2006 at 10:05 pm

  42. This is one of the very best things about creating a masterpiece with an empty fridge. It is supremely satisfying. These cakes are absolutely gorgeous, especially with the green ribbon in profile, which I feel really captures they essence as cakes. Thank you for sharing that with me.

    Comment by Lucy Vanel — On August, 13th, 2006 at 10:21 am

  43. Bon, bien sûr j’adore les recettes, mais en plus, j’ai le même service noir et blanc de théière et coupelles ;-)

    Comment by Stéphane — On August, 13th, 2006 at 3:04 pm

  44. Oh, you so know i’ll be making these, don’t you? Exquisite photos. Got me drooling and wanting some again. I have some red berries…. hmmmm…

    Comment by Mae — On August, 13th, 2006 at 6:24 pm

  45. Krysten, ahah, of course I can be lazy ;-) Thanks for your note!

    Lucy, it required essential ingredients, milk, eggs, butter, flour and sugar, and we always more or less have this, right? ;-) Thanks for your nice note. I am delighted to hear you like the pics. I remember your apricot shots and the tree. So many gorgeous looking apricots!

    Ah Stephane, c’est trop marrant. Quelle coincidence car le mien, je l’ai achete aux US (meme s’il vient d’Allemagne ;-))

    Mae, I know you will make beauties with those, as you know well how to! I cannot wait to see what you do. Make sure you try the cupcakes inside other molds, to help them keep the shape. I have had experiences with some papercups that were too soft and “opened” up a little. Makes sense?

    Comment by Béa — On August, 13th, 2006 at 8:50 pm

  46. y a pas dire, ils sont craquants !
    Il te reste un peu de thé ?

    Comment by Thalie — On August, 16th, 2006 at 8:29 pm

  47. An inspirational site. I was blessed to find you. Your ecipes and photos are simplistic enough to want to prepare them…and your photos divine…Your stories are haertwarming.
    Merci beaucoup! alla cherry Hill, New jersey

    Comment by jacqua — On June, 14th, 2008 at 6:40 pm

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