These Aperol and Olive Oil Cupcakes was inspired by a recipe I saw from Melissa Clark who is a food reporter for the New York Times. She was on holiday and posted a photo of a Campari and Olive Oil Cake she had just baked but there was no recipe for it. I kept an eagle eye on her Instagram account and just a few days later she posted a very short recipe which I immediately saved.
I told a friend of mine that I wanted to bake the cake and replace the Campari with Aperol. He asked if I could bake one and a half cakes and bring the extra half to lunch as mini loaves. I explained that baking does not work that way but later thought that turning the recipe into cupcakes is quite a good idea.
I love to bake but my baking knowledge is not of the level that I can easily convert a cake recipe into a cupcake recipe so you will see the recipe yields 20 cupcakes, or queen cakes as they are known in Britain. I kept the quantities exactly the same as the cake recipe and to be honest there is nothing wrong with having 20 of these floating around the kitchen. If your oven is not big enough just pop the second muffin tray in the oven when the first one comes out.
I reduced the sugar a bit and replaced the Campari in the recipe with Aperol. You can use Campari if that is your preference. I added the Aperol glaze to the recipe for a bit of extra flavour and that pink is so pretty. You can use Campari for the glaze too. The glaze needs that squeeze of lemon and pinch of salt to elevate the flavour. The cupcakes are deliciously rich with a good citrus flavour and remain moist for a few days after baking.
I hope you enjoy this recipe for Aperol and Olive Oil Cupcakes. If you’ve made the recipe share it with me by tagging @heinstirred on Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #heinstirred.
Olive Oil provided by Baleia Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I am proud to be associated with Baleia Extra Virgin Olive Oil and use it whenever a recipe requires Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The South African cold press extra virgin Olive Oil is produced in the Riversdale area, has a whiff of fresh cut grass and aromas of green tomatoes, almonds artichokes and green apples.

Aperol and Olive Oil Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 300 g flour
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarb
- 100 g butter softened
- 300 g sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 175 ml Baleia Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 3 tbsp fresh orange juice
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 80 ml Aperol
- grated zest of 1 orange
- grated zest of ½ lemon
- Glaze
- 2 tbsp Aperol
- squeeze of lemon
- pinch of salt
- 150 g icing sugar sifted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C
- Sieve the flour, salt, baking powder and bicarb
- Place the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and use an electric beater and beat until light and fluffy
- Add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition
- Add the olive oil, juices and Aperol and beat until combined
- Mix the dry ingredients and zest to the wet ingredients and beat until combined
- Spoon into 2 muffin tins lined with cupcake cases and fill approx 20 cavities to ¾ full
- Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean
- Let the cupcakes cool down completely
- Make the glaze by mixing all the ingredients, adding more icing sugar if needed
- Drizzle the cupcakes with the glaze, let it set for a bit and serve
- Adapted from Melissa Clark
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B
Oct 2, 2018
Send me your address immediately!!!!! I’m en route!!!!!
heinstirred
Oct 2, 2018
haha! Hope you love these Biana x
Aperol and Olive Oil Cupcakes – | heinstirred.com | Good Cookery
Oct 3, 2018
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Brina
Oct 3, 2018
What a creative flavor combination! Love these cupcakes!
heinstirred
Oct 3, 2018
Thanks Brina! Quite chuffed with how these turned out.