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Peach Cupcakes with Fresh Peach Buttercream

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This recipe for Peach Cupcakes makes incredibly soft, moist cupcakes topped with fresh peach buttercream. These cupcakes are sweetened with brown sugar and feature hints of vanilla and warm cinnamon. To make them even more delicious, each cupcake is studded with chunks of sweet seasonal peaches.

ABOUT THIS PEACH CUPCAKE RECIPE

I didn’t realize it until after I wrote this recipe, but these cupcakes were totally created with my own taste buds in mind! I love fruity desserts, moist cupcakes, and buttercream so these are like a dream dessert to me!

If you also love cupcakes, definitely check out my Strawberry Filled Cupcakes with Fresh Strawberry Buttercream, Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes and these chocolately Nutella Cupcakes!

For some more fruit filled desserts, check out my Blueberry Blondies, Blueberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake.

WHAT MAKES THESE CUPCAKES SO MOIST?

Back to these peach cupcakes. The base of this recipe is a moist cinnamon cupcake. It’s soft and fluffy and is the perfect texture for juicy, soft peaches.

I looked to my recipe for Banana Muffins with Chocolate Chips since they are super moist. I realized it was the oil in the recipe that gave them that tender, moist texture, so I decided to use oil in this peach cupcake recipe too!

HOW TO MAKE PEACH CUPCAKES

This recipe uses simple ingredients, comes together in minutes and does not require a mixer. Can’t get much easier than that!

  1. In a medium sized bowl, stir to combine the sour cream or yogurt, oil, eggs, and vanilla.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in and set aside.
  3. Pour the yogurt-oil mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Stir in the chopped peaches.
  4. Fill each cupcake about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake 15-18 minutes, let the cupcakes cool, frost and enjoy!

A FEW RECIPE NOTES

  • Peaches: I haven’t used frozen or canned peaches and definitely recommend using fresh, if possible. Peel and pit the peaches and chop them into smallish pieces (about 1/4 inch). Prep your peaches before beginning the recipe so that when it comes time to add them, you have them ready.
  • Dairy Options: I wanted the ingredients to be simple and mostly stuff you already have on hand. If you have buttermilk, great, but if not, no need to make a special trip to the store for it. Use yogurt, sour cream, or buttermilk. You could even make your own buttermilk substitute if you wanted to.
  • Filling the cupcake liners: The batter in this recipe makes about 18 cupcakes. To make it easier to fill the cupcake liners, use a cookie or even an ice cream scoop. It will make it easier to get cupcakes of the same size and is typically less messy than using a spoon or measuring cup.

HOW TO KNOW WHEN THE CUPCAKES ARE FINISHED BAKING

There are a couple of ways of testing for doneness. One way is to stick a toothpick into the center of a cupcake. If it comes out clean with hardly any crumbs, the cupcakes are done.

Another way to know if your cupcakes have finished baking is to gently press the top of a cupcake. If it’s springy, they are done. Cool trick, right? If you also like baking cakes and have wondered how to know when your cake is done, check out this article from The Kitchn called “5 Ways to Tell When Your Cake is Done.”

HOW TO MAKE PEACH BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

The homemade buttercream frosting is the perfect indulgent yet fresh tasting topping! This simple buttercream that is very similar to my fresh strawberry buttercream recipe. I more or less just swapped out the fresh strawberries for a fresh pureed peach.

Once you make your own buttercream frosting from scratch, you’ll probably never want to buy frosting again. It tastes so much fresher than store bought and only takes five minutes to make!

To make the frosting, you’ll need a bowl, an electric mixer and the following ingredients:

  • Room Temperature Butter: Butter that is not too soft and not too cold will help get the perfect consistency. Take the butter out no more than 20 minutes before making it.
  • A Little Salt: The recipe says a pinch. Taste it once mixed and add a bit more salt if you think it’s needed.
  • Powdered Sugar: Even though it’s going to go into a mixer, I highly recommend sifting it first. It only takes a minute and makes sure you don’t have any little bumps of powdered sugar in your frosting.
  • Vanilla: For flavor and it ties in with the flavor of the cupcakes.
  • Heavy Cream Or Milk: Optional. If you need to thin the frosting out a bit.
  • A Lightly Pureed Peach: Pit and peel the peach then puree it. A food processor works best to puree it.

HOW TO DECORATE THESE PEACH CUPCAKES

USE FOOD COLORING OR KEEP IT NATURAL

I tinted my frosting with a few drops of food coloring. I don’t usually use food coloring and you can definitely keep them natural if you like. To get that light peach color, I used several drops of yellow and one drop of red. The one drop of red will make it look pink but I stirred in a few more drops of yellow until I got to the peach color I wanted.

CREATING A FLAT SWIRL

I wanted a blossomy look to my frosting, so I used my Wilton 1M tip to pipe that flat swirl. Simply start in the middle and pipe in a swirl til you get to the edge.

OTHER WAYS TO PIPE THE FROSTING ON

With its peach specks, this frosting will look amazing however you frost your cupcakes. Use your favorite frosting tip. In addition to a flat swirl, I’ve made them with both my Wilton 6B and Ateco 808).

USE AN ICE CREAM OR COOKIE SCOOP

Short on time or pastry bags/tips? You can still make em super cute by using an ice cream scoop or even a smaller cookie scoop full of frosting on top! I see this style more and more in bakeries these days and love it!

HOW TO STORE PEACH CUPCAKES

These peach cupcakes are delicious cold or at room temperature. Store leftover cupcakes in the refrigerator in an air tight container.

PERFECT ANYTIME TREATS

I’m loving these cupcakes with fresh, in season peaches. Everything just tastes better and just feels more like a treat when it’s in season, right? That said, these are delicious year round! For another delicious peach recipe, it does not get more delicious than Ina Garten’s Fresh Peach Cake!

I also think that, like my Lemon Blueberry Muffins, these peach cupcakes would make a delicious breakfast. Just stop short of frosting them and they make perfect breakfast muffins! Now that I think about it, they could definitely go on my Pinterest board called Breakfast or Dessert?!

For a bit of juicy sweet peach flavor in every bite, you must make these Peach Cupcakes with Fresh Peach Buttercream! Nothing tastes as good as homemade or in season fruit and these happen to be as easy as store bought! Hope you enjoy these delicious cupcakes and that you enjoy the rest of the summer!

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Peach Cupcakes

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Natalie
  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Cook Time: 18 minutes
  • Total Time: 43 minutes
  • Yield: About 18 cupcakes 1x
  • Category: Desserts, Cupcakes
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

These from scratch Peach Cupcakes with Fresh Peach Buttercream are moist, soft and delicious! Made with juicy peaches, brown sugar and cinnamon, and topped with homemade frosting, each bite is irresistibly delicious!

Scale

Ingredients

FOR THE CUPCAKES

  • 1/2 cup oil (vegetable or canola)
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup sour cream, yogurt, or buttermilk
  • 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 peaches, peeled, pitted, and finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups finely diced peaches)

FOR THE PEACH BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
  • 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted, plus more if needed
  • 1/4 cup pureed peach, about 1 peach, peeled, pitted and pureed 
  • a pinch of salt

Instructions

FOR THE CUPCAKES

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake tin with liners.
  2. In a medium sized bowl, stir to combine the sour cream or yogurt, oil, eggs, and vanilla.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in and set aside.
  4. Pour the yogurt-oil mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Stir in the chopped peaches.
  5. Evenly distribute the batter by filling each cupcake liner between 2/3 and  3/4 full. Bake 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of a cupcake. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

FOR THE PEACH BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter and salt on medium for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl now and after each addition of powdered sugar. Turn mixer to low and add 1 cup of the powdered sugar until combined and smooth. Add the remaining powdered sugar.
  2. Turn the mixer up to medium and mix in the vanilla. Add the peach puree and whip on medium until combined. If frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar. If it’s too thin, add milk or heavy cream. 

Notes

If frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar. If it’s too thin, add milk or heavy cream. 

Keywords: cupcakes, peach, peaches, fruit, fresh fruit, buttercream, frosting, icing, peach buttercream, peach cupcakes,

Pear and Peach Upside Down Cake

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an overhead view of upside down pear and peach cake on a white plate with raisins and walnuts on the counter and a knife

As if the rich, sweet walnut and raisin topping wasn’t enough, this Pear and Peach Upside Down Cake is also soft, moist and full of fresh pear and peach slices! It’s fun to make and is as delicious as it is beautiful!

You’ll love the combination of plump, subtly sweet pears with vibrant looking and sweet tasting peaches! The fruit in this Pear and Peach Upside Down Cake reminded me of the lines “season of mists and mellow fruitfulness” and “fill all fruit with ripeness to the core” in John Keats’ beautiful poem called To Autumn.

As an English major, one of my favorite classes in college was Romantic Poetry. I loved their love of both nature and words. If fall is your favorite season, you’ll love this beautiful poem about this amazing time of the year!

Because of their different preparation method and appearance, upside down cakes are fun to make and eat! A delicious concoction of nuts, raisins, cinnamon, sugar, butter and lemon juice make up the bottom (or top) of this cake.

Next, you’ll add a layer of sliced or chopped fruit and then cover it with a soft, moist, buttery cake batter. Once cooked, place a serving plate or cake stand on top of the pan, flip it upside down and serve it right side up!

For this Pear and Peach Upside Down Cake, I used two pears and one peach. I love the contrast in color and sweetness between these fruits. I placed about two pear slices for every peach slice. This ensured that each slice would end up with bits of each fruit. Feel free to swap the ratio and use more peaches than pears or simply all of one fruit.

I sliced my fruit and arranged the slices side by side in on top of the crumb mixture. You can lay the slices on their sides and overlap them or place them side by side. You can even chop the fruit and either arrange it in a pattern or simply evenly spread it out. Either way the cake will be awesome!

Keep in mind that fruit shrinks when it cooks, so don’t worry about overcrowding or even piling up the fruit a bit. Whichever way you cut or arrange it, aim to cover the pan with at least one layer of fruit.

You can use a regular cake pan, but I love using a spring form pan. The food nerd in me always gets excited and nervous about inverting a pan and the spring form pan lessens the chances of the topping sticking to the pan.

There is butter in the topping, so you don’t need to butter the pan at all. Running a knife around the edges of the pan should be enough to unstick the sides.

One other tip is to place your pan on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. This is to catch any juice that may bubble up or leak out of your pan.

a slice of pear and peach upside down cake on a white plate with a fork on it

Enjoy this Upside Down Pear and Peach Cake as you would a coffee cake at breakfast or as a snack or dessert! It’s so good on its own or when served with some fresh whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream. Can’t wait for you to make this beautiful and delicious cake!

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an overhead view of upside down pear and peach cake on a white plate with raisins and walnuts on the counter and a knife

Upside Down Pear and Peach Cake

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Natalie
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
  • Yield: 8 slices 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

 

You’ll love this recipe for homemade Pear and Peach Upside Down Cake! It’s soft and moist and is bursting with fresh fruit and topped with raisins and walnuts!

Scale

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

  • 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup milk

FOR THE TOPPING

  • 2 pears, peeled and sliced or chopped
  • 1 peach, peeled and sliced or chopped 
  • 3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 1/3 cup raisins, any type
  • 1/4 cup sugar (brown, white, or a combination of the two) 
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted 
  • 2 tablespoons of lemon juice 

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet. 
  2. In a medium sized bowl, stir together the raisins, ⅓ cup sugar (brown and or white), walnuts, raisins, and cinnamon. Spread the mixture out evenly on the bottom of your 9 ” spring form pan. Drizzle the melted butter and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice evenly over top. Cut the fruit into slices or 1″ chunks. Arrange the fruit evenly in the pan. If sliced, slices can be side by side or overlapping. If cut into chunks, fruit can be placed randomly on top of the walnut mixture. Top fruit with another tablespoon of lemon juice. 
  3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until slightly lightened and creamy, about 4-5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three batches, alternating with the milk. Begin and end with the dry ingredients and mix together until combined.
  4. Evenly spoon dollops of the cake batter on top of the prepared fruit mixture. Use a spatula and carefully spread the batter. Set the cake on top of the prepared baking sheet.  Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of the cake. 
  5. Once out of the oven, place the pan on a cooling rack for a minute or two. Do not let the cake sit too long or cool too much without removing it from the pan or it will be difficult to get it out of the pan. Run a knife along the edge of the cake. Place a plate over the cake pan and use oven mitts to carefully invert the cake. Release the cake pan and gently take the sides and top of the pan off. The pan and cake will still be hot, so it’s important to remove the pan carefully. Let the cake cool and serve at room temperature. Top with whipped cream or ice cream if desired! 

 

Notes

Keep in mind that the fruit will shrink while cooking, so it’s better to crowd the fruit in the pan when arranging it. 

Keywords: cake, upside down cake, pear, peach, dessert, walnuts, raisins

Cinnamon Apple Peach Smoothie

by

A glass of a gorgeous, silky peach and apple smoothie.

Cooler, less humid days call for a different kind of smoothie. This healthy Cinnamon Apple Peach Smoothie is a super silky, naturally sweet smoothie recipe made with seasonal fruits and a touch of cinnamon.

September feels like the best of two seasons here in the Eastern Ontario and Northern New York. There’s nothing like soaking up the remaining cherished sunny days and having to reach for a sweatshirt on cooler nights. We also get both late summer fruits and veggies and the roll out of fresh fall produce!

A freshly peeled apple in a bowl with two peaches

This smoothie is my drinkable toast to this time of the year. Sweet late summer peaches, ripe fall apples and warm cinnamon. The result is a gorgeous goldenrod-hued glass full of nothing but sweet, fresh fruit flavor.

I got the idea for this drink when my Turkish friend once added chopped apples to a pot of simmering water for our tea. I loved the taste and idea of adding apples and was reminded of it the other day when thinking about what to do with some freshly picked apples. I wasn’t quite ready for apple pie or cider, so I combined them with another late summer/early fall fruit for a smoothie.

I love the silky thickness that the peaches add! For a more tropical peach smoothie, I love this one!

A white bowl filled with gorgeous, freshly sliced apples and peaches.

HOW TO MAKE AN APPLE PEACH SMOOTHIE

This smoothie has a unique preparation method, but is super easy to make! The first thing you’ll do is peel the apple then core and slice the apple and peaches. Bring the fruit and water to a boil and along with a cinnamon stick then let it simmer for 20-25 minutes.

Apple and peach slices simmering in a pot with water and cinnamon sticks.

Once the fruit is cooked, remove the cinnamon stick and blend the water and the fruit together. Refrigerate it for 2 hours or overnight.

The active prep time is the same as most of my smoothies which is about 5 minutes, but it’s definitely a good idea to refrigerate the smoothie for at least 2 hours. The flavor becomes a little more intense and it tastes better cold.

A pot full of stewed apple and peach slices being poured into a blender.

Sugar is optional! I added about a tablespoon to this. Add more or less if you like.

Freshly blended apple peach smoothie in a blender.

I sometimes compare smoothies with fruit and milk or yogurt to a healthy milk shake. This Cinnamon Apple Peach Smoothie is dairy free, so I’d compare it more to a drinkable sorbet!

two glasses of cinnamon apple peach smoothies on a counter with cinnamon sticks in front of them and an apple and a peach next to them

This silky, good-for-you smoothie is as delicious as it is gorgeous! It’s one of the healthiest, tastiest ways to enjoy the tastes of this beautiful time of the year!

For more delicious, healthy smoothies, make my:

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two cinnamon apple peach smoothies in glasses on a counter with cinnamon sticks in front of them and peaches and an apple next to them and a yellow towel behind them

Cinnamon Apple Peach Smoothie

  • Author: Natalie
  • Prep Time: 5
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 2 smoothies 1x
  • Category: Drinks, Breakfast
  • Method: Blender
  • Cuisine: American, Vegetarian, Vegan
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Description

Make this healthy, easy Cinnamon Apple Peach Smoothie for a healthy breakfast or snack! Naturally flavored and sweetened with fruit! 

Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 peaches, pits removed, cut into eighths 
  • 1 apple, peeled, core removed, cut into eighths 
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 cups water

Instructions

  1. Add the peach, apple, water, and cinnamon stick in a pot and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick.
  2. Pour the fruit and its liquid into a mixer and blend. Add sugar if desired. Refrigerate for at least two hours before drinking.

Keywords: Smoothie, fruit smoothie, drink, peach, apple, healthy, breakfast, snack, vegan, vegetarian

Orange Mango Peach Smoothie

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An orange mango peach smoothie in a little mason jar on a counter with some juice dripped on the counter in front of it and a piece of peach and lemon behind it and some lime and orange peels behind it and a blender top behind it

This delicious Orange Mango Peach Smoothie has the perfect tartness to sweetness ratio. The three juiced oranges, peach, mango, lemon and lime supply both the freshness and sweetness that you look to a smoothie for!

overhead view of of chopped peach slices in a blender

VITAMIN C

Let’s talk about vitamin C! With 3 oranges, 1 lemon, and 1 lime, this Orange Mango Peach Smoothie has the recommended daily intake of of vitamin C covered and then some. As most people know, oranges contain more vitamin C than other citrus fruits. In addition to adding a pungent tartness to this smoothie, lemon and lime add even more vitamin C! Mango and peach also add boosts of vitamin C.

overhead view of six orange slices with lemon juice in a strainer next to them

JUICE

You won’t believe all the juice you get from the three oranges, lemon, and lime. You can definitely use store-bought orange juice, but juicing these takes barely a minute. I personally love knowing that this entire smoothie comes from fruits alone.

TEXTURE

If you’ve ever had mango in a smoothie before, you’ll know about the texture it provides! The mango definitely deserve most of the credit for transforming the consistency of this drink from a juice to a smoothie. With the help of the peach, the mango makes this ultra smooth and creamy in a non-milkshake, healthy way!

freshly squeezed orange juice getting poured into a blender with peaches in it

BEAUTY

You can’t help but notice the gorgeous, bright orange color of this Orange Mango Peach Smoothie. The color will literally brighten up your day and signal to your body that you’re about to drink something healthy! While it becomes pretty uniform in color, you’ll still see little flecks of peach as you pour it!

a mason jar with fresh orange peach mango smoothie getting poured into it and an empty mason jar behind it with some peach slices, and juiced lime, lemon and orange peels behind it

MAKING THE SMOOTHIE

You might not buy juice again after seeing how easy this healthy smoothie is to make. You just chop, squeeze, blend, and drink! After adding the chopped mango and peach to the blender, you squeeze the oranges, lemon and lime and add them to the peach and mango. Hit blend and you’re done!

Two orange mango peach smoothies in little mason jars on a counter with some juice dripped on the counter in front of it and a piece of peach and lemon behind it and some lime and orange peels behind it and a blender top behind it

SERVING

This smoothie makes about 2 1/2 cups which is perfect for two people or one giant smoothie! Just double the recipe if you want to make it for more people. I like to refrigerate it for at least a half hour. If you want to drink it on the spot, you could always add an ice cube while blending. Mason jars are cute and fun to drink out of and their lids make it easy to store the smoothie for later. I love when I open the fridge and see that I have a smoothie in there!

An orange mango peach smoothie in a small mason jar on a counter with a lid on it

If this drink leaves you wanting more colorful, delicious smoothie recipes, definitely check out my:

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a mason jar full of a bright orange mango orange lemon lime smoothie with a couple of drops of the smoothie on the counter next to it and an orange napkin in the front corner of the picture. Behind the smoothie are the peels of juiced oranges stacked on top of each other, juiced limes and a peach slice and a blender top

Orange Mango Peach Smoothie

  • Author: Natalie
  • Prep Time: 4 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 minute
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 2 smoothies 1x
  • Category: Smoothies, Drinks
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Description

This yummy Orange Mango Peach Smoothie recipe is easy to make and makes a healthy, tart, sweet, smooth and delicious breakfast or snack!

Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 mango, peeled and chopped
  • 1 peach, chopped
  • 3 oranges, juiced
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 1 lime, juiced

Instructions

1. Add all the ingredients to the blender. Blend together. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and serve!

Keywords: smoothie, mango, orange, citrus,peach, lemon, lime, healthy, drink