Confession: Every time I’ve ever gone to an event to buy fruit, I’ve ended up with more peach tarts than the organizers bargained for. (And let’s be clear: I’m not being unkind to peach lovers who rushed out after a Golden State Warriors win just to try the fresh peaches.) So instead of ripping them open like an Oompa Loompa, here are six of my favorite pear-and-berry cupcakes that can be made in advance of the unexpected burst of sweetness the rest of the week brings.
Susie Baby’s Apricot-and-Blackberry Cupcakes
The easiest thing about these is roasting the apricots on the stovetop so they’re already softened and cooked by the time they arrive at the bakery. The other thing is it requires only a few ingredients, something I hope to instill in all the mothers reading this. Let a few do their baking ahead of time, then you’ll be on your way to lots of fro-yo-routins. Adapted from Susie Baby’s Apricot & Blackberry Cupcakes, amazon.com.
CHOCOLATE FUDGE MOUSSE WITH BERRIES AND BLACKBERRIES CAKE
MAKES 10 CAKES
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup chocolate chips
½ cup ground almonds
½ cup superfine sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups blackberries, quartered
1 cup water
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper and grease it with butter. Set aside.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the chocolate chips with a pastry blender or two knives until the chips are completely ground. Stir in the ground almonds, then stir in the sugar and butter. Beat in the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture, baking powder, and baking soda until the batter just comes together.
3. Scoop out an even layer of batter into the prepared pan, distributing the ingredients evenly among the 8 cupcake tins. Sprinkle over the blackberries and half of the water, and bake for about 30 minutes, until the cupcakes spring back when touched. Let cool completely on the rack.
Note: Once the cupcakes are cool, top each with an additional dollop of chocolate fudge.
MOROCCAN PEAR-AND-BERRY CRUNCH CAKE
MAKES 10 CAKES
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup oat flour
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup fruit jam (any flavor)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups pears, peeled, cored, and chopped
2 cups blackberries, quartered
1½ cups water
1½ cups frozen fruit trifles, thawed
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper and grease it with butter. Set aside.
2. Sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the chocolate chips with a pastry blender or two knives until the chips are completely ground. Stir in the all-purpose flour, sugar, jam, eggs, and vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture, baking powder, and baking soda until the batter just comes together.
3. Scoop out an even layer of batter into the prepared pan, distributing the ingredients evenly among the 8 cupcake tins. Sprinkle over the pears and half of the water, and bake for about 35 minutes, until the cupcakes spring back when touched. Let cool completely on the rack.
4. To serve, top each cupcake with a frosting—any of these three—and serve immediately.
Yield: 10 cupcakes
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