Apricot Cakes when I Feel Lazy -- Des gâteaux à l'abricot quand je suis fainéante
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
- 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
- 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!
Le coin français
Petits gâteaux à l'abricot
- 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
- 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.
Confession: I had a few raspberries left, so they quickly found a home here.
47 Comments
A Anita ·
J Jacelyn ·
J Jeff ·
S sam ·
F Fabienne ·
V Vanessa ·
C Chantal33 ·
G Gamelle ·
T Tanna ·
G Grignote et Barbotine ·
C Catherine ·
N Natalia ·
P Papilles&Pupilles ·
K Kat ·
N Nicole ·
I Ivonne ·
M Manouche ·
O ooishigal ·
N Ninnie ·
M mercotte ·
P peggy ·
J jenjen ·
E elodie ·
R rowena ·
M Mitsuko ·
M MlleGudule-Anne ·
G Gracianne ·
C corinne ·
C catherine ·
D David ·
F fanny ·
M Mary ·
C Connie ·
B bonheursdesophie ·
B Béa ·
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 ?
M Marmitedecathy ·
G gattina ·
L Leelooo ·
D doodles ·
B Béa ·
K Krysten ·
L Lucy Vanel ·
S Stéphane ·
M Mae ·
B Béa ·
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?
T Thalie ·
J jacqua ·