Deep South

Juicy peaches, creamy buttercream and a generous glug of bourbon….all in one delicious treat? YES PLEASE.

Let’s celebrate the end of summer with a Bourbon Peach Cupcake, shall we? Even better if you’re sitting by the lake with a view to go along with it #nottooshabby

Happy Monday, all! Or, more specifically…happy CUPCAKE MONDAY! (sorry I’m shouting but I can’t help myself when there’s cupcakes involved).

We’re having a Cupcake party today and you’re invited!

My friends’ Kelsie @The Itsy Bitsy Kitchen & Zainab @A Classic Twist came up with this marvelous idea to start off (every) Monday with cupcakes and now it’s an official Instagram hashtag.  I can’t think of a better way to start off the week… can you?

If you’re a cupcake fanatic as well, join in the fun! My bloggers friends and I have come up with some delicious cupcake creations (see the end of this post for links) that will have you in the kitchen whipping up a batch in no time. Or suddenly craving cupcakes, anyway… (haha).

While I do make pies more than anything else these days, I still do lovvvvvve a good cupcake–especially fun, delicious cupcakes with seasonal fruits (or..chocolate).

As you may have guessed by these cupcakes (and my recent Peach Pie), I’m all about the peaches these days. Being fairly close to the Niagara region definitely has its perks.  Did you know Niagara grows more than 80% of Canada’s peaches? Our markets are now overflowing with these scrumptious beauties so it’s the perfect excuse to bake all of the peachy desserts.

Peaches are one of my favourite fruits (peach pie is one of my top faves, actually), but–sadly– I can’t eat too many of them at once because they bother my digestive system. Peaches, and other stone fruit, are a high fodmap food which some folks (such as myself) are very sensitive to. If I eat 2 big slices of peach pie, I will sound like a trucker for a week (trust me, it’s not pretty). Luckily I share my baking creations with friends often– that way I don’t eat them all myself 😀 (thank goodness).

If you’re a peach fan like me, you don’t need to stop at peach pie or cupcakes, either. How about a glass of peach wine? Oh yeah!!!

If you find yourself in Niagara, mosey on over to Konzelmann Estate Winery where you can sample the most amazing peach wine. It’s worth the trip alone—even if you’re not a big wine drinker.  Their peach wine tastes like summer in a glass…

Not a big wine fan? Ok, let’s go for a peach cider instead.

We’re gonna head over to County Cider in Picton, Ontario (Prince Edward County in South Eastern Ontario) and grab a pint while relaxing on one of their Adirondack chairs. And the view of the lake is just a bonus!

Now this is how you summer.

So, enough peachy booze. Let’s get back to peach cupcakes….

There’s not too much you can do to improve a fresh peach pie or cupcake unless, of course, you add bourbon (back to the booze—oops! Hmmm, you’d almost think I was a hardcore drinker reading this post haha).

Like my peach pie, I decided to throw some bourbon into my peach filling and loved how it really took the flavour up a notch. There’s just something about the combination of bourbon and peach that is quite magical. Now if you’re from the south, I’m probably preaching for nothing because you probably only ever eat peaches with a few glugs of bourbon, right? 🙂 (silly question, I know).

I took my favourite vanilla bean cupcake (GF), filled with a spoonful of homemade bourbon peach pie filling and then topped it with a cream cheese buttercream, a fresh peach slice and then drizzled some more filling on top. It’s creamy, boozy PEACH perfection!

If you’re on the peach bandwagon, like me, you’ll lovvvve these cupcakes. I’m pretty sure they will make your Monday better….or any other day of the week, really. But this is a pretty good excuse reason to get your cupcake on…. just sayin’.

The only thing better than peach cupcakes (peach wine, peach cider, peach pie…etc etc) on a hot summer day? Hanging out with a bunch of cute furry friends at the lake. Before I share my peach cupcake recipe and my blogger friends’ links, here are a few pics of puppies and flowers around the lake–just for fun.

Cupcakes AND puppies? There simply isn’t a better way to spend your MONDAY.

Dogs for days! Definitely not a bad day at ‘the office’ 🙂

Want some more cupcake inspiration? Join us for a #CUPCAKEMONDAYS party. Here are a few more cupcake creations I think you’ll love. Click through the links to see the recipes.  And don’t forget to check out hashtag on Instagram for endless cupcake inspiration. You’re gonna love Mondays from now on, we promise!

Chocolate Banana Cupcakes from Itsy Bitsy Kitchen  

Brown Sugar Toffee Cupcakes from Kelly Lynn’s Sweets and Treats

Piñata Cupcakes from A Table Full of Joy

Chocolate Cherry Chip Cupcakes from Love in My Oven

Mojito Cupcakes from Nourish and Fete

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week, everyone!

Dana xo

5 from 2 votes

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Bourbon Peach Cupcakes

Delicious vanilla cupcakes with a bourbon peach filling and topped with a cream cheese buttercream. It's summer in cupcake form!

Ingredients

Ingredients

For the Vanilla Cupcakes

• 1 ½ cups Gluten-Free flour Packaged or your own mix
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum omit if it's in your flour mix
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup butter room temp
• 2 large eggs room temp
• ½ cup milk any--cow almond, cashew, coconut etc.
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla bean extract or reg vanilla

For the Cream Cheese Buttercream

• 1 cup butter room temp
• 1 package 8 ounce cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar or use more if you like your frosting really sweet
• 1 Teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla bean extract or regular vanilla

For the Bourbon Peach Filling

• 3 fresh peaches chopped
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 Tablespoon bourbon
• 1 Tablespoon salted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch + 2 Tablespoons water
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla bean extract or regular vanilla

Instructions

Instructions

For the Bourbon Peach Filling:

1. In medium saucepan place peaches, water, sugar, bourbon, and cinnamon. Cook over low heat until peaches soften and absorb the liquid.
2. Whisk together cornstarch and 2 Tablespoons water in a small bowl.Gradually add to the peach mixture, stirring constantly. When mixture thickens, add butter and vanilla. The peach mixture should have a jam texture.
3. Remove from heat and allow to cool in the fridge until ready to fill cupcakes.

For the Vanilla Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
2. In medium bowl add flour mix and whisk well (I always whisk gluten-free flour really well first), then add sugar, baking powder and salt.
3. Add butter to the flour/sugar mixture and, with a hand mixer, beat on low-speed until thoroughly mixed. It will be crumb-like in texture, similar to coarse sand. Add in the eggs, one at a time, and mix until blended.
4. Pour in the vanilla and then slowly add milk. Beat on medium for about a minute or so, until batter is fairly smooth (since GF flours don't contain gluten, you don't have to worry too much about over-mixing). If batter's too thick, gradually add an extra couple of teaspoons milk (you probably won't have to add extra milk if you're using reg vanilla extract). Batter should resemble a soft frosting when it comes together.
5. Fill liners with batter to almost ¾ full. Bake for about 17-20 minutes--but I usually check them in about 15 minutes. When they're slightly golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, they're done. Allow them to cool completely.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

1. Using a mixer, beat the butter on high for a minute or two until it's really creamy.
2. Lower mixer speed and gradually add confectioners sugar. I add about a half cup at a time to gradually incorporate the sugar into the butter (and it's less messy that way, too).
3. Add cream cheese (yes, after the sugar) and mix only until incorporated and smooth (you don't want to over beat once you've added the cream cheese).
4. Add lemon juice and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Place in fridge until ready to decorate cupcakes.

To Assemble Cupcakes:

1. Hallow out the centre of each cupcake. Fill with cooled peach mixture--about a tablespoon per cake (or enough to mostly fill the hole). You can use a pastry bag or a small spoon works quite well, too. Reserve a few spoonfuls of the filling for the top, if desired.
2. Frost cupcakes and drizzle reserved peach filling on top of each cupcake.
3. Garnish with a slice of peach, if desired. Enjoy!