Zoë Dubrow’s Summer Garden Cupcakes

My roommate and I are both PhD students studying plant science at Cornell. During the first few months of the pandemic, we were both working from home writing and analyzing data instead of doing field trials and experiments with plants in the lab. During this time, my roommate put her spare time into fixing up our backyard and planting a beautiful garden full of vegetables and flowers.

By the time summer came around it was a wonderful spot to sit and relax, often with a cone of our favorite soft serve ice cream. These cupcakes were inspired by my roommate, the flavors of summertime ice cream, and the vibrant flowers that are still growing strong in our garden. They have a lot of components and were a bit challenging to make, but, like growing a garden, baking them was a good reminder that dedicating time and focus to something you love can be very rewarding and in this case delicious! 

—By Zoë Dubrow