One of my friends has been asking me to try baking a champagne cupcake. I am not terribly fond of the bubbly, but I was curious to find out what a cupcake based on alcohol would taste like. That's when I thought of adding the peach flavor. I do love Bellinis! I thought I was so smart thinking up this combination for a cupcake. However, as it turns out, it's been done before. In fact, I've discovered through Google that most cocktail drinks have a cupcake counterpart! Fortunately, in the baking world there's room for everyone's experiments, and so here is my try at a Bellini Cupcake with Peach Filling topped with Champagne Buttercream Icing.
Champagne Cupcakes
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 egg whites
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup champagne
1/2 cup peach nectar
Preheat oven to 350. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt, set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together champagne and nectar, set aside, also. Beat butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy (about 3-5 minutes). On medium speed add half of flour mixture, then liquid, then the rest of the flour. Beat on high speed for a minute or so until batter is smooth. Fill cupcake liners approximately 2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean. While cupcakes are baking and cooling, begin making the peach filling.
Peach Filling
2 15 oz cans of Peaches in 100% juice
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon sugar
In a skillet, melt butter. Drain can of peaches and add them to the butter. Add sugar and cook until peaches have broken down and mixture thickens and becomes a filling type consistency. Let cool completely before filling the cupcakes.
After filling and cupcakes have completely cooled, use a knife to cut a small, circular hole in the middle of the cupcakes. Remove circular section. You will not need these bits, so feel free to "taste test" them! Spoon peach filling into the hole.
Champagne Buttercream
1 cup unsalted butter at barely room temperature
4 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
1/4 cup champagne
2 tablespoons peach nectar
Using a mixer, beat the butter until it is creamy. Add three cups of the sugar one at a time and beat until fully incorporated with butter. Begin on low speed (so the sugar won't fly everywhere) and work up to medium. Add champagne and peach nectar along with last cup of sugar. Beat until smooth. If you'd like your icing a bit thinner, add more peach nectar. If you'd like it thicker, use less.
Fill a pastry bag with the buttercream icing and pipe onto cupcake. Garnish with a cherry if you'd like!
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