French Toast Cupcakes Stuffed with Peaches and Mascarpone

For my second recipe inspired by Muffin Tin Chef (my first was potato and egg cupcakes, a cupcake version of Matt's Parmesan hashbrowns), I put the Cupcake Project spin on his French toast made in muffin cups.  I stuffed the French toast with brown sugar coated peaches and mascarpone cheese and topped them with fresh whipped cream and edible flowers.  

Bellini Cupcakes

The folks at PaulaDeen.com asked if I could come up with a fabulous cupcake for Mother's Day.  The first thing that came to mind was a mimosa cupcake - but I've already written about mimosa cupcakes.  I decided to create a Bellini cupcake.  (For the uninitiated, a Bellini is similar to a mimosa - only it's made with peach instead of orange.)

Here's my description of the bellini cupcakes from Paula Deen's site:

To make the Bellini cupcakes, start with light champagne cupcakes (with a full cup of champagne in the batter), fill them with burnt peach puree, and top them with a burnt peach buttercream.  Sprinkle sparkly sanding sugar over the cupcakes to give them the festive feel of the fizz of a freshly opened bottle of champagne. The only thing missing from the experience will be the pop of the cork. 

For the recipe, head over to PaulaDeen.com!

Peach Tea Cupcakes on Paula Deen

Remember when I learned the best way to bake with tea?  I made jasmine raspberry cupcakes that I adored, and I warned you that more tea cupcakes were coming soon.  When the folks at Paula Deen requested a peach cupcake for the month of August, sweet peach tea immediately came to mind.  Can't you picture Paula Deen sitting on her porch with one of my peach tea cupcakes?  Some day, I'll get the chance to personally make one for her; but for now, I'll just continue to widely grin about the fact that my cupcakes are on her website.

Head over to PaulaDeen.com and check out the recipe for these Southern summer treats!

Peach Cobbler Cupcakes

Cobblers seem so Fall to me; brown sugar, cinnamon, and big chunks of fruit make me want to snuggle under a blanket with a loved one.  But, peach cobbler is so much better in the summer when it can be made with fresh fuzzy peaches (I happen to adore the fuzz) rather than the uniform slimy ones from a can.

Peaches and Cream Cupcakes

My Dad tells me that when I was a baby, my parents called me "Peaches and Cream." I was born with peach fuzz on my head and my skin was creamy white. I often call my son "Sweet Pea." Thank goodness it has nothing to do with his skin or hair being a pale green - scary!

Groom 3.0 requested more cupcakes with fruit. Dutifully listening to his request, I decided to give these seasonally-inappropriate peaches and cream cupcakes a go (with canned peaches) so that they could be in the running for Bride and Groom 3.0's May wedding.

The petite slice of peach perched on the rim of these cupcakes makes me happy. It's so bright and cheery! Truly, I could skip the cupcake entirely and just eat a bowl of peaches -perhaps with some cottage cheese. But, this is a cupcake blog, so cupcakes it is - airy vanilla cupcakes with hints of peach, topped with a vanilla buttercream frosting accented with peach jam.

Peaches and Cream Cupcake Recipe

To make these peaches and cream cupcakes, I used the vanilla sour cream cupcake recipe from Seriously Simple Holidays by Diane Rossen Worthington with peaches and cream blended in. If you don't want to make a peaches and cream recipe to blend into the cupcake, you could mix in peach jam instead. While I have not tried it, I think that the peach jam would give the recipe a stronger peach flavor.

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 C flour
  
• 1/2 t baking powder
  
• 1/4 t baking soda
  
• 1/4 t salt
  
• 2 large eggs
  
• 1 C sugar
  
• 1/2 C unsalted butter, room temperature
  
• 1 1/2 t vanilla extract
  
• 1/2 C sour cream
  
• 2 C peaches and cream blended into a mush (see this peaches and cream recipe) or 1 C peach jam (try to find high quality jam with lots of real peach pieces or, if the season is right, make your own peach jam)

1. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs and sugar for about 2 minutes, or until light and creamy.
   
3. Add the butter and vanilla and beat on low speed for about 1 minute, or until well blended.
4. Beat in the dry ingredients on low speed until blended.
   
5. Add the sour cream and beat until smooth and well blended.
6. Mix in peaches and cream or peach jam.
7. Divide batter evenly among 12 cupcake liners.
   
8. Bake at 350 F for about 23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean and the tops are firm.

Vanilla Peach Buttercream Frosting

• 3 C confectioners' sugar (add more until it reaches your preferred consistency)
• 1 C unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 t vanilla bean paste
• 4 T peach jam (try to find high quality jam with lots of real peach pieces or, if the season is right, make your own peach jam)
  

1. Mix together sugar and butter until they are blended and creamy.
2. Add vanilla bean paste and continue to beat for another minute.
   
3. Mix in peach jam until just combined.

Peaches and Cream Recipe You Can Make In the Microwave

Until now, I'd never made a peaches and cream recipe. In fact, prior to my making it, neither Jonathan nor I had ever had peaches and cream. We both weren't even sure what peaches and cream was supposed to taste like. I have to wonder if we are freaks or if the the romantic notion of peaches and cream pervades our culture more than the actual dish.

Peaches n' cream (pronounced like one long word - peachesncream) can be found everywhere except as a simple dish of peaches with cream; witness Peaches & Cream oatmeal, Peaches n' Cream lip balm, and even Peaches N' Cream Barbie.

The product description for the Peaches N' Cream Barbie says that it "Makes you feel all warm on the inside and fuzzy on the outside!" I'm not sure how a product can make you feel fuzzy on the outside unless it's a fur coat or Rogaine.

Unlike Peaches N' Cream Barbie, the dessert form of peaches and cream is not a thing of beauty. When Jonathan first saw it, he questioned how anyone could, with good conscience, plate and serve it to company. But then, we took bites and we saw what all the reverence was about. At the bottom rests a layer of thick sweet crust, then comes a layer of sweet, juicy peaches (I used canned, but it would be even better with seasonal, fresh peaches), and a layer of thick cream with a sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar tops it off. It's hard to resist plopping gobs of the stuff into your bowl and then going back for seconds. If the Barbie shown above were a true Peaches N' Cream Barbie, she would be far more rotund.

Peaches and Cream Recipe

I got the peaches and cream recipe from Dragon Musings, this month's Taste & Create partner (the monthly event where bloggers get paired up to make recipes from each other's blogs). I love Dragon Musing's blog header. You should go check it out! It's funny that the item she made from my blog was also peach-related. She made my peach cup-pies (here's her version).

Dragon Musings found the peaches and cream recipe in an Australian Women's Weekly Menu Planner from 1987. I am reprinting the recipe below. Other than Americanizing it a bit, the only change I made was to add much more cinnamon than the original recipe called for - I don't think you can have too much cinnamon.

Yield: An 8 x 8 baking dish full of peaches and cream.

• 1/4 C unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 C + 2 t sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 t baking powder
  
• 1/2 cup milk (I used 2 percent)
• 15 oz can of peaches, drained
• 1 1/4 C heavy whipping cream
• 1 t cinnamon
  

1. Beat butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 egg, flour, baking powder, and milk in small bowl using an electric mixer for a few minutes or until smooth and changed in color.
2. Pour into greased 8 x 8 microwave-safe baking dish.
3. Top with peaches.
4. Microwave on high for 8 minutes.
   
5. Mix heavy whipping cream and two eggs until combined.
   
6. Pour over the peaches.
7. Sprinkle with cinnamon and two teaspoons of sugar.
8. Microwave on medium high for 5 minutes.
9. Serve warm.
   

Next Up

Next, I'll be making peaches and cream cupcakes (as if you couldn't have guessed).

Peach Pie with Brie - Cupcake Style

Peach pie - sweet, gooey peaches, buttery crust, topped with cool, creamy vanilla ice cream - an irresistible summer dessert. Not able to leave a classic alone, I made two key changes to the traditional peach pie recipe:

1. I added Brie cheese (full disclosure - I was given the Brie cheese for free from Ile de France so I had to do something cool with it! Thanks, Ile de France!!)Before you start doubting the peach pie with Brie cheese, consider the popular pie combination of apple and cheddar (cheese is not a new ingredient to the pie world). Then, think about a time when you've had baked Brie with fruit compote (if you've never had baked Brie with fruit, rectify that right now!). Brie goes really well with fruit. In the case of my mini peach pies, tasters could barely tell that the Brie was there unless they knew to look for it. It mostly added some complexity to the flavors, mixing a little sour into the otherwise sweet mix.
2. I made the peach pies cupcake style. As you'll see as you move further into the post, I made the mini pies three different ways: crust cut out on top, lattice top, and peach juice pecan top.
   

Peach Pie with Brie Recipe

The Crust

If you already have a favorite pie crust recipe, feel free to use that. I used a recipe from the classic Vincent Price cookbook that is actually designed for an apple tart rather than a pie. I like that it has a mild lemon flavor. Crusts should have a flavor and stand up on their own, not just be a delivery mechanism for pie filling.

I've been using the Vincent Price recipe since I was a kid. You make the whole thing with your hands, and I've always loved the messiness of it. It doesn't roll out as well as some other crust recipes that I've tried, but to me it's worth the extra effort for the sublime flavor.

I'm reprinting the recipe below in my own words, with a slight modification from the original.

Double the recipe if you plan to put a lattice or top crust on your mini pies.

• 2 1/2 C flour
• 1/2 C sugar
• 1 C (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
• 4 egg yolks
• Grated rind of one lemon

1. Clean your counter well and pour flour onto the counter.
2. Make the letter O with the flour and put all of the other ingredients in the middle of the O (see photo above).
3. Using your hands, work the center ingredients into a paste and then knead in the flour. If necessary, dip your fingers in water while you are working to help the dough stick together better.
4. Roll the dough into a ball and refrigerate for at least thirty minutes.

The Peach Filling

I got the recipe for the peach filling from allrecipes. I am reprinting it with slight modifications below.

• 5 C sliced peaches (about 8 medium-sized peaches)
• 2 T lemon juice
• 1/2 C all-purpose flour
• 1 C white sugar
• 1/2 t ground cinnamon
• 1/4 t ground nutmeg
• 1/4 t salt

1. Place the sliced peaches in a large bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice.
   
2. Mix gently.
   
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
   
4. Pour over the peaches, and mix gently.
   

Putting It All Together

As I mentioned at the beginning of the post, I made these mini pies three ways. However, the basic setup is the same and should make about 24 mini pies.

• Unbaked pie dough (see above)
  
• Prepared peach filling (see above)
• 4 oz Brie cheese
  

1. Remove half of the dough from the fridge and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick.
2. Use a 3 1/2 inch diameter circle cookie cutter to cut the dough into circles. If you don't have a cookie cutter that width, see if you have a glass you can use or experiment with different widths.
   
3. Put cupcake liners into cupcake tins.
4. Press the center of your circle into the bottom of a cupcake liner and work the rest up the sides. It should come about 3/4 of the way up the side. I experimented with different heights and found this to be the most pleasing to me, but higher or lower won't destroy anything. Repeat the same procedure with the other half of the dough.
5. Fill the pie crusts with slices of the prepared peach filling.
6. Dot the top of the peach filling with small pieces of Brie (I used four pieces about the size of my fingertip). If you don't want to use Brie, you can dot with butter instead.
   
7. Choose the option that you want for the top and assemble (these are covered later).
8. Bake at 350 F for about 25 minutes.
   

Option One - The Little Pie Crust Cutout

For some of the mini pies, I topped the peaches and brie with some extra pie crust that I cut out using a tiny cookie cutter (OK - it was a tool from a Play-Doh kit). While I used stars, I think hearts would be really cute.

Option Two - The Classic Lattice

For other pies, I topped the peaches and Brie with a classic pie lattice. I cut out the strips of lattice using a pastry cutter to give them jagged edges.

Option Three - Peach Juice and Nut Goodness

For the remainder of the pies, I wanted to use up the sugared peach juice that was left over after I put all the peach filling into the pies. I had somewhere between a half cup and three quarters cup of sweetened peach juice left in my bowl. I mixed that with a quarter cup of flour to thicken it up and a quarter cup of pecans to add some crunch. Then, I spooned that mixture on top of the mini pies. While I liked all three varieties of pie, I think this one was my favorite.

On the left you can see the set up without the goodness on top.
On the right, you see it with the goodness spooned on.

Other Mini Pies

If you like the idea of making mini pies, you may also want to check out my recipe for mini pumpkin pies.

Maple Cinnamon Peach Ice Cream Cupcakes

There is a lot going on with these cupcakes, so let's start with a description. These are maple cinnamon cupcakes with baked peaches. The cupcakes were then cut in half to create a cupcake sandwich with homemade maple ice cream in the middle. The top half was frosted with peach whipped cream and then sprinkled with maple sugar.

Every messy forkful of this cupcake was so mmm mmm good that it had me questioning whether it was my drool I saw on the plate or whether it was some melty ice cream. These cupcakes were stellar, and if I could enter my own Ice Cream Cupcake Roundup, they would surely be my entry!

What Did My Friends Think?

I served these cupcakes to a bunch of friends and here were some of the comments:

• "These are my favorite cupcakes yet! My second favorite were the plum cupcakes."
• "These are the best maple flavored anything I have ever had!" This, of course, prompted the question as to what her favorite was before this. The answer: "McGriddles at McDonalds." All I can say is at least I wasn't beaten out by Mickey D's - I would not have been happy.
• "Love the maple flavor in the ice cream. It goes really well with the dense cupcake."

Maple Cinnamon Peach Cupcake Recipe

The maple cinnamon peach cupcake recipe is a Cupcake Project original. It's yummy even without the ice cream, as shown above.

Makes about 16 cupcakes

• 2 C flour
• 1 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 2 t cinnamon
• 3/4 C butter, room temperature
  
• 1 1/3 C maple sugar
  
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 C whole milk
• 3 T maple syrup (the real stuff)
  
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1/2 t maple extract
  
• 15 oz peaches, chopped finely

1. With a fork, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a bowl.
2. Beat butter and maple sugar in a large bowl for 1 minute until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in eggs, milk, maple syrup, and extracts until blended.
4. Mix in flour mixture.
5. Fold in peaches.
   
6. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
   
7. Bake at 350 F for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the cupcake clean.

Cupcake Assembly

To assemble your ice cream cupcakes:

1. Cut the cooled cupcake in half. (You can probably cut the cupcake in a straighter line than I. I tended to go kinda crooked.)
2. Frost the top half with peach whipped cream. (I found it easier to frost after cutting, rather than trying to cut the frosted cupcake.)
3. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
4. When you are ready to serve, stick a small scoop of maple ice cream between the two halves of the cupcake and sprinkle some maple sugar all over!
   

Reminders

1. You have until the end of May to create your own ice cream cupcake and enter the Ice Cream Cupcake Roundup.
   
2. You also have until the end of May to vote for my black bottom cupcakes with goat cheese in the Ile de France recipe contest - while this task doesn't help you in anyway, I would be most grateful! Thanks!

Whipped Cream Frosting with Peaches

Whipped cream frosting is so fresh and light. Using whipped cream frosting (and I don't mean Cool Whip) can be a great alternative to buttercream or cream cheese frostings.

Some of my favorite whipped cream frostings feature fruit (see my strawberry whipped cream frosting and my mango whipped cream frosting). For my maple ice cream cupcakes, I opted for a peach whipped cream frosting. Peaches 'n cream are a tried and true combination and maple and peach are a dynamic duo.

Peach Whipped Cream Frosting Recipe

• 1 C heavy whipping cream
• 1/3 C sugar
• 2/3 C finely pureed peaches, fresh or canned (If you plan to pipe the frosting, be sure to puree finely, otherwise they will get stuck in your piping tip - no fun! I used a food processor.)

1. Beat whipping cream on medium speed for about five minutes, until soft peaks form.
2. Mix in sugar.
3. Fold in peaches to the whipped cream.
4. Be sure to keep refrigerated.