Cantaloupe Cupcakes

Yes, as in the fruit.  Aren’t they pretty?  I am a huge fan of cantaloupe and eat it nearly year round but never thought to use it – and cottage cheese – in a cupcake recipe.   Every now and again I like to post something a little different and this definitely counts.  It almost sounds healthy!  What will the folks at Cupcake Project think of next?

Cantaloupe Cupcakes

Yield: 36 mini cupcakes (as shown) or 18 standard-sized cupcakes

Cupcake Ingredients

• 16 ounces full-fat cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 4 ounces cantaloupe, pureed
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup semolina flour
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons very finely chopped cantaloupe
• Cantaloupe balls for topping cupcakes

Cupcake Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, mix cottage cheese, sugar, milk, cantaloupe, and eggs. Note: Even when you are done mixing, you will still see cottage cheese bits in the liquid.
3. Mix in melted butter, semolina flour, all-purpose flour, vanilla, and baking powder.
4. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
5. Bake minis for 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out dry. Standard-sized cupcakes will take about 20 minutes.

1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat butter for 3 minutes on high speed.
2. Add powdered sugar a little bit at a time until fully combined.
3. Mix in vanilla and cantaloupe.
4. Pipe or spread on cooled cupcakes.
5. Just before serving, top cupcakes with cantaloupe balls.

Note:   There are recognizable bits of cottage cheese in the cake.  So, if you’re not a cottage cheese fan, these cantaloupe cupcakes might not be for you.  You could easily replace the cottage cheese with ricotta.