Rachel's Cookery: Plum cupcakes with almond crust and plum-cream cheese frosting

We have a plum tree in the back yard. Last year, it produced two plums. One of which fell to the ground unbeknownst to me and the other of which just sort of dangled until it dried up.

This year there are so many plums on the tree that one of the branches broke clean through under their weight, frightening Sebastian the cat (I was in the backyard when it happened).

I don't make a lot of fruity cupcakes, going more the chocolate-y route, but it's darn hot and the idea of making something rich and heavy isn't a pleasant one. Plus, I have about a million plums to go through. I have already made jam (and used it liberally in this recipe), but I thought that adding the plums to the cake would be mighty fine, too.

And it was! The cake is not too sweet, and the bits of plums add a bit of freshness to the cupcake - it may look like a muffin, but it's the lightest muffin I've ever tasted. Nah. It's a cake. Filled with jam. And then, cream cheese...mixed with more jam...

Oh, and I had to do the almond crust again! I love the flavor of almond with stone fruit, and this didn't disappoint. So here we have an edible memory of the summer of the thousand plums...the summer where I learned to make jam, and the children...to devour said memories and smear them all over the furniture.

Ain't life grand? It's certainly sticky on Hyatt Lane!

Almond Crust for cupcakes ~

1 1/2 cups ground almonds (ground in food processor)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-count muffin tins with baking liners; set aside.

Combine all ingredients together in a small bowl. Press about a tablespoon's worth of the almond mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner, pressing down to make an even layer. Bake at 350 for about ten minutes (be aware of the smell - if you smell toasted nuts, the crust is ready. If you smell burning nuts, you'd better start over). Set aside to cool while preparing the cupcakes batter.

Liam helped me make the crusts for the cupcakes

~ Plum Cupcakes (makes 24 cupcakes) ~

3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of fresh-ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup dark or light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
2 cups chopped plums (may leave skins on)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line muffin tins with paper liners.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cardamom and set aside. Cream the butter and sugars together, beating until fluffy. Add in the eggs, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bow, and then the vanilla extract. Gently mix in the yogurt. Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the plums.

Fill each cupcake liner about 3/4 full with the batter (these will rise, but not too much).

This is likely more than 3/4 full...

But see? Not too poufy...

~ Plum Jam for Filling ~
This was plum jam I made last week; the recipe is from the Ball Blue Cookbook for Damson Plum Jam. I'm not going to post it here, but you can certainly search for it, or just use plum jam that you already have.

After cupcakes have cooled, cut a cone-shaped piece out of the middle of each one, trimming the bottom of the cut bit so it forms a lid. Using teaspoon, scoop in a bit of the plum jam into the cupcake's cavity and then top with the lid. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.

~ Cream Cheese - Plum Frosting ~
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup plum jam
4 - 5 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream together butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer; mix in the jam. Add in the salt. In 1-cup increments, mix in the powdered sugar and beat in at a low speed until frosting is of the desired consistency. Pipe onto each cupcake using a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. If you measured it right, you should have enough for 24 cupcakes. If you didn't, as I didn't, you can leave the cupcakes nekkid or you can spread them with additional jam and claim they're for your lactose-intolerant friends. Because you're always thinking about the other guy.

(What?)