Peach Cupcakes

These delicious Peach Cupcakes are the perfect dessert recipe to serve in the summertime… or any time of year you are craving summer. Whether you’re having a BBQ, picnic, or even a beach day, these will be your go-to recipe this summer.

 

I’m just getting around to updating this old recipe. I debated calling them peaches and cream cupcakes but ultimately felt they didn’t have the right kind of cream I was looking for. Cream cheese, yes, sweet cream, no. Like cherry season, I wish peach season were longer.

Peach Cupcake Recipe

Instead I changed the name from “Just Peachy”, which I thought was adorable, to plain old Peach Cupcakes. Peach Cupcakes were inspired by Peach Cobbler Cupcakes from Gigi’s Cupcakes. I’ve still never tasted the real thing, but I had heard of their fun and whimsical flavors and Peach Cobbler was one of them.

What motivated me beyond wanting to taste juicy peaches? Nostalgia. I found out that Roald Dahl Day was coming. You see, he was my favorite author as a child. Fantastic Mr. Fox was the first chapter book I ever read and other favorites like Matilda and James and The Giant Peach, I read over and over again.

What You’ll Need

The ingredient list appears along, but other than peach rings (optional), canned peaches and cream cheese, all of the ingredients are standard kitchen staples.

• Flour– The easiest and most verstile, flour gives baked good structure.
• Baking Powder & Baking Soda– Both are leaveners, meaning they give lift and loft to baked goods and create all of those lovely air pockets that make things fluffy.
• Unsalted Butter- The fat base of this cupcake recipe, I always use unsalted because I want to control the amount of the salt in the recipe, but also salt tends to dry things out and we want our cupcakes to be juicy.
• White Sugar & Brown Sugar- A slight touch of molasses from brown sugar complements the peaches perfectly.
• Eggs- Used as a binder and also for structure.
• Honey– Just a touch of honey gives an unexpected flavor combo. Yes, we have several sweeteners, not including the actual peaches, but this match is what makes them unique and so tasty.
• Vanilla- To balance and create depth of flavor.
• Buttermilk- Instead of using water or plain milk, buttermilk has more body and fat content, but also a slightly tart taste.
• Sparkling Water- Don’t discount those bubbles! Bonus points if you can find peach flavored.
• Canned Peaches– I used to make a homemade compote, but honestly, canned peaches are a huge time saver. Buy them in slices and chop them yourself or grab a can of chopped. Drain well before using. Alternately, chop up fresh peaches and toss them in; I just run into the problem of eating them all before they make it to the cupcakes.

Cream Cheese Frosting & Garnish:

If you are short on time, just grab a tub of cream cheese frosting from the store and whip in peach extract or go plain. With the lovely peach rings on top and real peaches tucked away inside, there is enough juicy peach to go around.

• Unsalted Butter– Again, if you are using salted, omit the additional salt.
• Cream Cheese– The base for this frosting. You can opt for a buttercream instead.
• Powdered Sugar- To make it sweet and thicken the base for frosting.
• Peach Extract– Peach extract or peach flavoring will both work. And if you don’t want to use either of these, simply swap it with vanilla and call it a day.
• Sparkling Water- Also used to flavor and thin out the frosting, but with added pizzazz.
• Peach Rings– Nothing drives it home that these are peach cupcakes like a sweet and sour peach ring right on top. Fresh peach slices can also be used, but I really like peach rings.

How to Make Peach Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven and line one or two cupcake tins with cupcake liners. If you fill them correctly, you should get 18-20 cupcakes.
2. Sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Don’t skip the sifting- without it you’ll wind up with pockets of leaveners instead of them evenly blending throughout the batter.
3. In a separate large bowl or mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1-2 minutes until creamy and pale. This incorporates in air and helps the batter becomes light and fluffy. Add the sugars and continue to beat until fully combined. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then the honey and vanilla.
4. Alternate adding the buttermilk, flour mixture and seltzer water until all ingredients are just combined. Do not over mix! Over mixing can make the cupcakes tough (see notes below).

5. Fill each muffin tin a scant 1/3 way. Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of the peaches on top of batter followed by an additional dollop of cake batter to cover, just enough to cover.
6. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the tops gently bounce back when touched and are slightly browned. Cool completely before frosting.

Make the Frosting:

1. Beat together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy and then add the powdered sugar, peach or vanilla extract and seltzer until creamy. If frosting is too thick, add small amounts of peach soda until spreadable.
2. Place into a piping bag fitted with a large round or star attachment, frost and place a peach ring on top of the cupcake. You can also slather on the frosting using an offset spatula.

A few tips for making the moistest cupcakes ever!

1. Do not overmix the batter. The most commonly made mistake in making a cake is overworking the batter. This is actually made easier when you are using a stand mixer because we overestimate how long the batter has been beaten. Pay attention! 
2. Sift the dry ingredients. Even if you are using a boxed cake mix, sift the cake mix to get out any clumps. This will make it blend better, but also make it less likely that you will over mix. 
3. Eggs make a cake moist and yolks make them even more moist. Try adding one or two extra yolks to your favorite cake recipe and watch the crumb get even crumblier. Yes, I made that word up! 
4. Don’t over bake your cake! This might seem like it is super apparent, but many folks wait too long before taking the cake out of the oven and presto, dry cake. Whomp, whomp.
5. Measure your flour. You might think you measure your flour, but are you doing it correct? Scoop flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a flat spatula or butter knife. Don’t pack it down, just let is sit how it did when you scooped it. Additional flour makes cake dry and even have a slight heap on your measuring cup could be the culprit.
6. Never overfill the cupcake tins. They should be just a little over half full unless the recipe specifies otherwise. 

Storage & Freezing

Any baked good is best enjoyed the same day as baking or close thereafter. Store these peach cupcakes at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Cupcakes can be frozen unfrosted or frosted in an airtight container for up to 6 months. Thaw at room temperature.

More Easy Cupcakes Recipes:

• Banana Cupcakes
• Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Rainbow Cupcakes
• Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes
• Black Bottom Cupcakes