Prep Time 20 minutes Cook Time 25-35 minutes
A few weeks ago, I was making cupcakes for a weekend dessert and discovered I had no pineapple. Since I desperately wanted to avoid an extra trip to the grocery store, I started poking around in my fridge.
Lo and behold, there were two over-ripe, sad looking peaches. I peeled them, tossed them in the blender, and used the puree instead of the pineapple, crossing my fingers that it would work.
And it did! These cupcakes had an extra-summery flavor, I saved my fruit from ending up in the trash, and my carrot cake cupcakes didn't have the stringy bits of pineapple you sometimes end up with. If your end-of-summer peaches are looking less than perfect, this might be the ideal way to use them up!
by Janssen Bradshaw
What you'll need
CUPCAKES:
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/16 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup peeled and pureed peaches
- 1 cup finely grated carrots
- 1/4 cup sweetened and shredded coconut
FROSTING:
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 4 Tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Variations:
Sprinkle a little ground cinnamon on top for a special touch.
How to make it
- FOR CUPCAKES: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners and set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, bakign soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
- In a larger mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, both sugar, oil, peach puree, and vanilla, until very well combined. Fold in the flour mixture and, when mostly combined, add the carrots and coconut. When everything is mixed, fill cupcake tins 3/4s full (you may have a bit extra batter). Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out cleanly. Let cool completely before frosting.
- FOR FROSTING: Beat the cream cheese and butter together with an electric mixer until very smooth, about 1 minute. Add the sifted poweder sugar and mix until well combined. Stir in the vanilla. Frost cooled cupcakes.
