Friday, April 4, 2014

Happy Spring!

Happy Spring people! Yay! We made it! 
I should leave it at that, I don't want to get overly excited and jinx it- there is still a chill in the air and I've not yet placed my Winter boots in the closet, from which they cannot make another appearance until at least the last week of November. I've gotten overly excited about the impending warm weather and started eyeing my bbq- is it too early? I feel somewhat weak admitting that the Winter took the best out of me, but I'm certainly not alone. How do I know? Because of all the happy people filing into the bakery with smiles on their faces, jackets unzipped and regular shoes on their feet- regular shoes! All of whom are more excited every day about the promise of long, warm days, flowers and green!
So, lets toast the arrival of Spring with something yummy, shall we? We're bringing back a favourite of mine from last year. Something about looking at these little gems just makes me feel happy- probably because of the way they look: 

These cupcakes really do pack a punch, there is something seriously magical about the batter- with chopped up maraschino cherries throughout and the sweet, lovely taste of almond in every bite. I absolutely love  maraschino cherries, so much in fact, that when I was young, I considered them as an important part of a fruit filled diet. I'd never thought adding maraschino cherries to a cupcake batter would be so life changing. But, trust me, its a good lesson learned. We've topped these little lovelies with a (teal blue) vanilla frosting and a whole cherry on top. Why teal? Why not!?