52 Sundays of Dessert: Week 21
Did you know that if you cut slits in the skins of peaches and then run them briefly through boiling water, the skin is supposed to slip right off? Me either until this recipe. And I didn't have time for it yesterday either. Lol. I guess that would've been the coolest thing I could have attempted with this dessert, but by the time I got everything together to start making them, I had to resort to a quick once-over with the vegetable peeler. It worked just as well.
This week we revisit peaches in all their naked glory with Peach Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting. (And yes, they were just as delicious as they sound!)
Okay, you guys (and girls) know by now that I have a touch of OCD. I can't stand folding laundry and seeing the bottom of a T-shirt folded up at one part of the seam. I'll notice an object sitting crooked on my desk and have to straighten it out. I have this need for things to be a certain way.
Don't worry, this preface is going somewhere. Stay with me...
You can understand that it takes a little while to peel, core and finely dice peaches. Since I was running short on time, I asked Adam to please start measuring some of the dry ingredients for me. He kindly agreed and began happily sifting flour, nutmeg and so on. Then he gets to the sugar.
By this point, he's used most of the measuring cups for other ingredients and, rather than wipe them out, something possesses him to grab one of the liquid measuring cups to meter out the sugar.
You can only imagine the blank-yet-concerned look on my face as I watched him pour, shake, tap the cup on the counter, add some more, shake, tap, etc.
But you know what? I was grateful for his help, so I had to just laugh at my inability to accept his argument that this was precise measuring:
"Baby, this is just as good as using the other measuring cups."
"Then what's that hill at the top of the sugar mound in that cup?"
"Oh, that's just parallax. It's exact."
And in that way, we managed to pretend that our two baking styles don't clash at all.
But even I am not too proud to admit that these turned out just fine in spite of as a result of Adam's help. The cakes were moist, the frosting was sugary heaven, and they were quickly devoured.
I did have one ever-so-slightly negative critique of the recipe though. They almost didn't taste like peach at all when you took a bite from top to bottom. But we found out that the reason was because the frosting was so overpowering with all of the cream cheese flavor. When we just bit into the cake by itself, it was very peachy! So I'm wondering if maybe this isn't the best pairing? With the frosting, it could almost have been just a vanilla cupcake for all we could tell. I'm a little tempted to make these again with some peach schnapps and see if that might help punch up the flavor so the cream cheese isn't as overpowering. Or if I was smarter (or had more time) I'd figure out to make it just a brown sugar frosting (which is what I originally thought it was).
These were the first cupcakes I've made or eaten that had pieces of anything mixed into them. But it was much better than eating, say, jello with fruit chunks in it. They softened up and melted into the cake so well, you really couldn't tell when you had pieces of peach in a mouthful and when you didn't.
4.5 out of 5 stars for Peach Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Frosting.
Difficulty rating: 2 out of 10. There's nothing difficult about these at all. The only part that requires some patience and finesse is prepping the peaches.
Peach Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Frosting
From smittenkitchen.com
Makes 24 to 28 cupcakes
3 C. cake flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
Pinch of nutmeg
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 C. granulated sugar
3/4 C. dark or light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 C. (12 ounces) buttermilk, sour cream or full-fat yogurt
3 large peaches, peeled, cored and chopped smallish (1/3-inch dice)
Making the cupcakes:
Liz: Take out your butter ahead of time to let it start softening. (And don't forget that the frosting requires room temperature butter and cream cheese as well, so take those out at least 30-60 minutes before you start that part of the recipe.)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 28 muffin cups with paper liners.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg and set aside.
Cream the butter and sugars together, beating until fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl between each addition, and then the vanilla.
Gently mix in the buttermilk, sour cream or yogurt.
Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the peach chunks.
Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cupcake liners. (Liz: This seemed very vague to me. My main problem being that, at the moment, I only have one muffin pan, so how would I possibly know how to make all 27 ... which is what I ended up with ... look the same when I could only measure out 12 at a time? So, for your benefit, I will let you know that you should basically fill each cupcake liner up to just a little below the top. Don't be afraid of them billowing out too high. I filled them all to just under the top of the liner and they came out perfectly.)
Bake for 18 to 22 minutes (Liz: 20 was perfect for me.), or until a tester inserted into the center of cupcakes comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes for five minutes in the tin, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Making the Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 1/4 C. light brown sugar
1/4 C. cornstarch
1/2 C. powdered sugar
2 8-oz. packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 C. (4 ounces or 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Liz: If you haven't done it yet, take out the cream cheese and butter to soften.
In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, cornstarch and powdered sugar.
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until fluffy.
Add the sugar-cornstarch mixture along with the vanilla, and beat until frosting is smooth and light, a minute or two.
Chill the bowl in the refrigerator until it thickens back up a bit, at least 30 minutes, then spread or dollop onto cooled cupcakes.
This week we revisit peaches in all their naked glory with Peach Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting. (And yes, they were just as delicious as they sound!)
Okay, you guys (and girls) know by now that I have a touch of OCD. I can't stand folding laundry and seeing the bottom of a T-shirt folded up at one part of the seam. I'll notice an object sitting crooked on my desk and have to straighten it out. I have this need for things to be a certain way.
Don't worry, this preface is going somewhere. Stay with me...
You can understand that it takes a little while to peel, core and finely dice peaches. Since I was running short on time, I asked Adam to please start measuring some of the dry ingredients for me. He kindly agreed and began happily sifting flour, nutmeg and so on. Then he gets to the sugar.
By this point, he's used most of the measuring cups for other ingredients and, rather than wipe them out, something possesses him to grab one of the liquid measuring cups to meter out the sugar.
You can only imagine the blank-yet-concerned look on my face as I watched him pour, shake, tap the cup on the counter, add some more, shake, tap, etc.
But you know what? I was grateful for his help, so I had to just laugh at my inability to accept his argument that this was precise measuring:
"Baby, this is just as good as using the other measuring cups."
"Then what's that hill at the top of the sugar mound in that cup?"
"Oh, that's just parallax. It's exact."
And in that way, we managed to pretend that our two baking styles don't clash at all.
But even I am not too proud to admit that these turned out just fine in spite of as a result of Adam's help. The cakes were moist, the frosting was sugary heaven, and they were quickly devoured.
I did have one ever-so-slightly negative critique of the recipe though. They almost didn't taste like peach at all when you took a bite from top to bottom. But we found out that the reason was because the frosting was so overpowering with all of the cream cheese flavor. When we just bit into the cake by itself, it was very peachy! So I'm wondering if maybe this isn't the best pairing? With the frosting, it could almost have been just a vanilla cupcake for all we could tell. I'm a little tempted to make these again with some peach schnapps and see if that might help punch up the flavor so the cream cheese isn't as overpowering. Or if I was smarter (or had more time) I'd figure out to make it just a brown sugar frosting (which is what I originally thought it was).
These were the first cupcakes I've made or eaten that had pieces of anything mixed into them. But it was much better than eating, say, jello with fruit chunks in it. They softened up and melted into the cake so well, you really couldn't tell when you had pieces of peach in a mouthful and when you didn't.
4.5 out of 5 stars for Peach Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Frosting.
Difficulty rating: 2 out of 10. There's nothing difficult about these at all. The only part that requires some patience and finesse is prepping the peaches.
Peach Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Frosting
From smittenkitchen.com
Makes 24 to 28 cupcakes
3 C. cake flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
Pinch of nutmeg
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 C. granulated sugar
3/4 C. dark or light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 C. (12 ounces) buttermilk, sour cream or full-fat yogurt
3 large peaches, peeled, cored and chopped smallish (1/3-inch dice)
Making the cupcakes:
Liz: Take out your butter ahead of time to let it start softening. (And don't forget that the frosting requires room temperature butter and cream cheese as well, so take those out at least 30-60 minutes before you start that part of the recipe.)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 28 muffin cups with paper liners.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg and set aside.
Cream the butter and sugars together, beating until fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl between each addition, and then the vanilla.
Gently mix in the buttermilk, sour cream or yogurt.
Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the peach chunks.
Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cupcake liners. (Liz: This seemed very vague to me. My main problem being that, at the moment, I only have one muffin pan, so how would I possibly know how to make all 27 ... which is what I ended up with ... look the same when I could only measure out 12 at a time? So, for your benefit, I will let you know that you should basically fill each cupcake liner up to just a little below the top. Don't be afraid of them billowing out too high. I filled them all to just under the top of the liner and they came out perfectly.)
Bake for 18 to 22 minutes (Liz: 20 was perfect for me.), or until a tester inserted into the center of cupcakes comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes for five minutes in the tin, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Making the Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 1/4 C. light brown sugar
1/4 C. cornstarch
1/2 C. powdered sugar
2 8-oz. packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 C. (4 ounces or 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Liz: If you haven't done it yet, take out the cream cheese and butter to soften.
In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, cornstarch and powdered sugar.
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until fluffy.
Add the sugar-cornstarch mixture along with the vanilla, and beat until frosting is smooth and light, a minute or two.
Chill the bowl in the refrigerator until it thickens back up a bit, at least 30 minutes, then spread or dollop onto cooled cupcakes.