Ingredient: Lemon zest for garnish

HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY!

St. Patrick’s Day is a funny thing here in Canada. It’s the one time each year that people seek out green food and drinks, everything from shamrock shakes, a green bagel, or green beer are part of our version of this holiday.

Green food has been getting more and more ‘creative’ on this particular holiday. Clean eating, green foods like spinach, avocado and broccoli for example. A walk through the grocery store produce section will provide a variety of examples of just how many green foods are available to use in meals and snacks.

In the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, I wanted to incorporate some green food in some desserts. What better excuse could I have to make some artichoke cupcakes!

Over the years, Brion and I have vacationed many times in the Carmel / Monterey area on the Central Coast of California. As a rule, we make Pacific Grove ‘home base’ and from there do numerous day trips. About a 20-minute drive inland from Monterey Bay is the tiny agricultural town of Castroville. When you enter into the town you will see a sign that says, ‘Artichoke Center of the World’.  Where the rich, fertile soil of the Salinas Valley meets the sands of Monterey Bay, these fog-shrouded fields prove to be the ideal location for the commercial cultivation of Heirloom artichokes.

About another 20-minute drive further north you come to another agricultural town called Watsonville. Just before we reached the town, I spotted a sign advertising ‘artichoke cupcakes’ from Pezzini Farms. We have never eaten anything sweet associated with artichokes before now. This charming roadside market goes deep into the crop that made this chunk of California famous.

Now, Watsonville might not be the self-proclaimed Artichoke Center of the World like its neighbor, Castroville. But it still ranks right up there in growing this distinctive plant that’s actually an herb.

Pezzini Farms is family-owned and has been growing and selling Heirloom Green Globe artichokes since 1929. The family immigrated to the United States from Italy bringing with them their family’s artichoke root stalk. 

The market offers a great selection of fresh produce that includes artichokes sold individually or in bulk. The store also has a wide selection of artichoke products that featured jarred artichoke hearts, artichoke dip mix, and artichoke marinara sauce, among others. By the register, customers were enticed by an array of sweet pastries displayed under glass dessert domes. Among them were decadent artichoke cupcakes topped with thick frosting.

It inspired me to think of artichokes in a whole new way. Brion & I purchased a cupcake to see how it would taste. The dense cake wasn’t overly sweet, with chunks of artichoke heart adding an almost earthy quality. The frosting was velvety with a little cream cheese bounce. A good comparison would be like a zucchini bread or a carrot cake.

Of course, as soon as we came home, I couldn’t wait to try to recreate this interesting little cupcake and what a better time than today. Think artichoke green for St. Patrick’s day!

I’ve added a few pictures I hope you will enjoy.

• Pezzini store pics x 2
• Artichokes growing in the fields
• Production line
• Store cupcakes
• Life-size signage

Print Recipe

Artichoke Cupcakes

Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course

dessert

Cuisine

Canadian

Keyword

artichoke cupcakes

Servings

LARGE CUPCAKES MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients

Cupcake Batter

• 398 ml artichoke hearts, packed in water
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp pure vanilla
• 1 small lemon, zested & juiced Reserve some zest for garnish if you wish.
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/3 cup flour, sifted
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cardamom
• 1/4 tsp ginger, ground

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1/4 cup salted butter, softened
• 112 gm (4 oz.) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• Lemon zest for garnish

Course dessert Cuisine Canadian Keyword artichoke cupcakes Servings LARGE CUPCAKES MetricUS Imperial Ingredients Cupcake Batter 398 ml artichoke hearts, packed in water 2 eggs 1 tsp pure vanilla 1 small lemon, zested & juiced Reserve some zest for garnish if you wish. 2 Tbsp water 1/4 cup olive oil 1 1/3 cup flour, sifted 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 3/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp cardamom 1/4 tsp ginger, ground Cream Cheese Frosting 1/4 cup salted butter, softened 112 gm (4 oz.) cream cheese, softened 1/2 tsp pure vanilla 1/8 tsp salt 1 3/4 cup powdered sugar Lemon zest for garnish

Votes: 1 Rating: 5 You: Rate this recipe!

Instructions

Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 6-cup muffin pan with large paper liners (or 12 small paper liners).
2. Drain artichoke hearts well & mince into very small uniform pieces. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice, water & oil.
4. In another bowl, sift together flour, white & brown sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cardamom & ginger.
5. Combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients, then gently fold in the minced artichokes with a spatula until they are completely incorporated into the batter.
6. Fill the prepared muffin tins with the batter & bake about 30 minutes for the large size (20-25 minutes for small size).
7. Once the cupcakes are baked through, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting

1. With an electric mixer, beat butter & cream cheese until creamy & well combined & lump free.
2. Add vanilla & salt, mix to combine. With mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar until completely combined.
3. Frost cupcakes as desired.
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