Apricot Streusel Cakes

Apricot Streusel Cakes 

Streusel

1/3 cup flour

1/3 cup sugar

3/4 tsp cinnamon

3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened 

Cake 

1 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder 

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 

3/4 cup sugar +

2 tbsp sugar 

1 egg, room temperature 

1 egg yolk, room temperature 

1/2 tsp vanilla 

1/2 tsp orange oil or zest of 1 orange 

6 tbsp buttermilk

1 1/2 cups diced fresh apricots, about 4 large apricots +

1 tbsp flour 

Whipped cream and honey for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 36 mini muffin tin with liners and set aside.  

For the streusel, combine flour, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add butter and work in with your fingers and a fork until the mixture clumps together. Set aside. 

For the cake, combine flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. To an electric mixture fitted with the paddle attachment cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the egg and egg yolk and beat an additional 2 minutes until combined, scraping down the bowl once or twice. Add vanilla and orange oil or orange zest and mix to combine. 

On low speed add flour mixture alternating with the buttermilk beginning and ending with the dry mixture, stopping the mixer just before the flour is completely combined. Remove the bowl and mix with a rubber spatula until the batter is smooth. It will be quite thick. 

Separately toss the dice apricots with 1 tbsp of flour and add to the batter nix gently with the spatula until the apricots are evenly distributed. 

Using 2 spoons divide the batter among the muffin tins and top with the streusel. Bake cakes until golden brown and firm on top,ma out 30 - 35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. 

Peel the liners off carefully. Just before serving, top the cakes with a small dollop of whipping cream and a drizzle of honey. 

Cakes can be baked 1 day ahead and stored in a sealed container at room temperature. 

Makes 36 mini cakes