Almond Cupcakes

This started when one of my best friends gave me some homemade apple jam made from her homegrown apples. Since I don't eat a lot of toast in general, I was trying to figure out if there were baked goods I could use it in without losing it as a flavor. While apple sauce and any fruit in general is a wonderful source of moisture for cakes, I wanted to actually taste it. Also, most baked goods that include apples tend to ask for the original fruit itself, whether in slices or chunks, rather than in jam form.

So, then came the idea of using it as a filling in cored out cupcakes, and I stumbled across this recipe for an almond cupcake that, coincidentally, was already going the jam-filled route! As it so happened, the cupcake itself was good enough to stand on its own even without the extra jam and icing, so it's getting its own recipe space. Extra bonus is that since it's made from almond flour rather than refined flour, I can eat a lot more of it without getting nasty sugar spikes! Yum!

Cupcake:

• 3 cups almond flour or meal
• 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 6 large eggs
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup granulated sugar (to taste)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Icing:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 cup fig (or your favorite) jam
• Toasted sliced almonds (for serving)

• ½

Cupcake:

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Place cupcake liners in a 12-cup cupcake tray.
2. Sift almond flour through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl; discard any large pieces. Whisk in baking powder and salt.
3. Using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk eggs and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low and whisk in almond-flour mixture and vanilla until smooth, about 1 minute.
4. Divide batter among cupcake cups (each one should hold a little less than 1/3 cups). Bake cupcakes, rotating pan partway through, until the tops are golden and a tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 15–20 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack and let cool.

Icing:

1. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
2. Reduce speed to low and, with motor running, add powdered sugar in 2 additions, beating until fully incorporated after each, about 2 minutes.
3. Add cream, almond extract, vanilla, and salt and beat until light and creamy, about 1 minute.
4. Using an apple corer or a knife, punch out about 1" from the top of each cupcake to form a hole in the center. Fill hole with a heaping teaspoonful of jam.
5. Spread frosting over cupcakes and top each with a small handful of almonds.

Note: While the cupcake can have the sugar reduced a little more if you wish, the icing depends on the sugar for stiffening (and to help mask the pure butter taste, which I personally don't find as fun when eating straight unless it's salted butter). If you're set on reducing the sugar in the icing, then reduce how much cream you add as well, and watch the icing on warm days - you may need to keep it refrigerated to prevent melting.