Heavenly Almond Raspberry Cupcakes

Anyone else already grieving the end of summer? I know that there is still three and a half weeks left until Labor Day, but once August hits, it seems like summer is practically over. Some of my end-of-summer grief is no doubt instigated by all the schools announcing their plans for the fall. As a teacher, now that August has come and now that we think we know what school will look like, I am making to do lists and having moments of panic as I wonder how it will all get done. While I am still enjoying many of the perks of summer, school is definitely on the horizon and I am not letting myself be quite as lazy as I was a few weeks ago.

In an attempt to hold onto these last weeks of summer, I present to you the raspberry almond cupcake! These cupcakes have been adapted from a chocolate chip cupcake recipe from the cookbook Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes. I used Martha’s recipe as a base because it has a unique texture that lies somewhere between your average cake and angel food cake. The cupcakes are lighter and airier than most cakes, due to the fact that whipped egg whites are a part of the recipe, but they are not quite as light as angel food cake generally is. (In case you do not know, when making angel food cake, one of the major ingredients is whipped egg whites – that is what makes the cake so fluffy and airy. These cupcakes do not use quite as many egg whites and has a few more ingredients than angel food cake, which is why these cupcakes are not not as fluffy as angel food cake.) The lighter texture of these cupcakes combined with the raspberry flavor makes it perfect for summer. Because I wanted to celebrate the lightness of the cake, I chose not to use any frosting, but instead top them with some powdered sugar and whipped topping. And, trust me, they are de-lish.

Heavenly Almond Raspberry Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 3 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon sifted cake flour
• 4 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 cup + 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks)
• 1 3/4 cup sugar
• 5 large egg whites, room temperature
• 9 oz raspberries
• powdered sugar (for topping)
• whipped topping (for topping)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Line muffin pan.
2. In a medium bowl, combine 3 1/4 cup cake flour, the baking powder, and the salt. In a separate small bowl, mix together the milk, vanilla, and almond extract.
3. In a large bowl, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Add dry ingredients in batches, taking turns with adding the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. When adding mixtures, beat just until combined.
4. In a different bowl, using an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form.*
5. Gently fold one third of the whisked egg whites into the batter. Then carefully fold the rest of the egg whites in. Toss the raspberries with the remaining flour and carefully fold them into the batter.
6. Put batter into cupcake liners and bake until a cake tester inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean, approximately 22 minutes. Let cool.
7. To serve, dust some powdered sugar on top and add a generous dollop of whipped topping. Enjoy!

*Notes on whisking egg whites: It is important that if you are using the same mixer as with the rest of the batter that you clean the beaters before whisking the egg whites. Also, it can be nerve-racking to figure out when to stop whipping the egg whites as you do not want to stop whipping them too early, but you also do not want to over mix them. A good test to tell if they are done is if you start to turn the bowl over and the egg whites stay in place. If you start tipping the bowl and the egg whites move, then you can keep whisking them.