Almond Filling:
1/2 tube (or can in my case) almond paste
1 bag sliced almonds (that was kinda vauge..I didn't have a "bag" well I had a ziploc but I think I used like 2/3 of a cup)
Cupcakes:
1 yellow cake mix
1 pack of vanilla pudding mix
1 1/4 cup orange juice
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 teas vanilla
1 teas almond extract
Glaze:
1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 generous teaspoon fresh orange zest
2-4 tablespoons orange juice
Preheat oven to 350
Line cupcake tins-
Prepare filling-crumble the almond paste and add the sliced almonds (my paste didn't really crumble so much as it did get more of a silly puddy consistency, but I think as long as the almonds are distributed throughout you should be ok)
Prepare the cupcake batter-put all ingredients (for the cupcakes) in the mixer-let it go for 30 seconds, do a scrape down, then let it go for about 2 minutes more. Should look pretty smooth and thickened. Remove 3/4 cup of the batter and mix that into your almond paste/almond mix in your separate bowl.
Fill the cupcake liners about 3/4s of the way, then spoon a heaping teaspoon full of your almond paste mixture into the centers.
Baked for about 18-20 minutes.
Put on baking rack to cool.
Ok..here is where this one differs for me. You'll strip these ladies. Nope..truth. That's what the recipe says..well..it doesn't say strip them..but it does say to remove the liners. Which is MUCH easier to do when they are cooler (they don't tend to crumble) and since you won't have good luck glazing when they are hot or even warm, it's best to let these little beauties TOTALLY cool, then strip them, then dip them. (for the glaze you just mix all your stuff together)
The book says to drizzle the glaze in a criss cross pattern. I'm more of a dipper and less of a drizzler..so I dunked the tops. Twice, then topped with sliced almonds.
YUM!
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