peach cupcakes.

Last month we celebrated M. Next month we'll celebrate B. This month we celebrated C. I may not care for summer temperatures, but I'm so grateful for summer birthdays that have given me these dear friends.

For C.'s birthday last year, we had a lovely birthday brunch. This year's celebration did not, thankfully, involve me juggling a still-warm quiche and large braided bread on the bus; instead, we had dinner and drinks at Village Whiskey, followed by drinks at the Franklin. Sense a theme? Indeed. We like our quality cocktails.

In between two of our favorite Philly institutions, we stopped off for surprise cupcakes in the park. (I'd stashed them with the hostess on the way into the restaurant. Sneaky! I love surprising people with baked goods.) We lit candles, sang "Happy Birthday," embarrassed C. in the process, and had a wonderful, slightly messy time. (I'm not including photos of me licking up my arm to remove/savor the frosting that transferred from the cupcakes to the box to me. That doesn't mean they don't exist.)

Most photos by MT, who is therefore not in them. Boo.

Peach cupcakes. Brown sugar cream cheese frosting. How could these not be delicious? The recipe, from the ever-reliable smittenkitchen, makes 24-28 cupcakes. I didn't need that many cupcakes, but I also generally avoid halving baking recipes because you never know when the chemistry will be thrown off. So I made a dozen cupcakes and a 9" cake. Then I halved the frosting recipe and used it for the cupcakes; I sprinkled some sugar across the top of the cake before baking and ate it plain for breakfast. And mid-afternoon snack. And dessert. I also adjusted the sugar so that most of the sweetness in the cake comes from the peaches. So excited to buy peaches for the first time this summer!

The recipe below will make 2 dozen cupcakes or 1 dozen cupcakes + 1 9" (or 8") cake. The frosting is enough (barely) for 1 dozen cupcakes. The green letters are tinted white chocolate: I melted a handful of white chocolate chips in the microwave with about 1 tsp. milk, stirred in two drops of green food coloring, let it cool for about 5 mins., then piped letters onto waxed paper with a small icing tip. After about 30 mins. in the fridge, they'll firm up and peel right off the paper, as long as you're somewhat gentle. I didn't want to pipe directly onto the spiky frosting, so this worked nicely.

Peach Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
adapted from smittenkitchen


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 (3/4 c.) unsalted butter, room temp.
scant 3/4 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. buttermilk OR sour cream OR yogurt (*I used about 1 1/4 c. buttermilk and 1/4 c. Greek yogurt - the combination worked very well)
6 small or 3 large peaches, peeled and cut into small cubes

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter/line 24 muffin cups (or 12 muffin cups + 1 9" cake pan).

2. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg; set aside.

3. Cream together butter and two sugars, beating until fluffy; scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs half at a time, beating until combined and scraping down sides each time. Add vanilla, then gently mix in buttermilk/sour cream/yogurt. (The batter will look curdled. That's ok.) Stir in dry ingredients, then (gently!) chopped peaches.

4. Divide the batter among the muffin cups (and cake pan, if using). Bake 18-22 mins., until spring to the touch or toothpick in center comes out clean. (If you're baking a dozen cupcakes and a cake, the cake will take about 26-28 mins.) Cool in pan for 5 mins., then turn out onto wire rack and cool completely.

Frosting
[makes enough for 12 cupcakes; double for 24]
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 c. powdered sugar
8 oz. (1 package) cream cheese, room temp.
4 tbsp. butter, room temp.
1/4 tsp. vanilla

5. In small bowl, stir together brown sugar, cornstarch, and powdered sugar. Make sure you get any lumps out. Set aside.

6. Beat together cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Scrape down sides, then add brown sugar mixture and vanilla and beat until light and smooth. Chill in refrigerator for about 30 mins.

7. Spread or pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes.

♥

peach shortbread.

First of all, happy back-to-school season!


"Do something: Academics are back!" I took this photo at Paper Source in Brookline back in August because it made me chuckle. Ok, the whole awning actually reads "Do something creative every day." And the sign is talking about academic calendars. But still. It made me think about those like me coming out of their summer hibernation, shaking off the fuzziness, and returning to the books, the classroom, and life as we like it.

Second of all, I'm on something of a peach kick. They're just so good, and they won't be around for much longer, so why not? Multiple friends mentioned this recipe to me as soon as it appeared on smittenkitchen, so I complied with the not-so-subtle request (your ploy worked, friends) and gave it a try. Yum. Shortbread + peaches + crumbly topping = happy friends. And happy me.

This was my first attempt at brown butter. Nerve-wracking but ultimately rewarding, as you could definitely taste the nuttiness in the shortbread. However, it would be just fine and still delicious with regular softened butter (plus a few extra tablespoons of flour) if you don't have time to hover anxiously over the pan.


Peach Shortbread
adapted slightly from smittenkitchen

2/3 c. sugar (*I reduced this from the original and it could probably be cut even more.)
1 tsp. baking powder
3 c. minus 2 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. cold unsalted butter
1 egg
2 peaches, peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced (1/4"- to 1/8"-thick wedges)

1. Brown the butter: melt in small/med. saucepan over low heat. It will melt, then foam, then turn clear gold, then begin to brown slightly, especially on the bottom. Stir frequently so that it doesn't burn, especially at the end. Pour into heatproof container and freeze for 30 mins. or until solidified. (Not rock hard - just the consistency of normal butter.)

2. Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly butter a 9x13" pan.

3. In med. bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Then add egg and solidified butter and mix with your hands or a pastry cutter (*I like to use my hands) until mixture is well-combined and crumbly.

4. Pat 3/4 of the crumb mixture into the bottom of the pan for your shortbread base and press down firmly. Arrange peaches on top in a single layer. Scatter remaining crumbs evenly over peaches.



5. Bake for 30 mins. or until top is slightly browned. Cool completely in pan before cutting.

peach cake.

The majority of my friends, both near and far, need little excuse to cook, bake, and/or eat. So when a handful of us gather to watch Mad Men or Project Runway, the evening often involves food. Last week, C. hosted a lovely ladies' night: we shopped for, cooked, and ate dinner together. From the spoils of the farmers' market, there was zucchini soup (M.); eggplant parmesan featuring three colors of eggplant, homemade tomato sauce, and fresh mozzarella (C.); peach cake and peach crumble (me). There was also watermelon and feta salad (M.) and plentiful beer (B. and T.). It was, in short, a feast. It was also one of those evenings that makes me pause and think, I am so very fortunate.

*Thanks to M. for the majority of these pictures. Giving her free rein with my camera has great results.

The peach crumble (basic) and peach cake (simple) were to throw together on the road, so to speak. The cake would probably be good with a variety of other fruits; it's really just a simple cake that features the tasty peaches. Indeed, the original recipe calls for nectarines, one of my favorite fruits, but the first time I made this cake, the peaches looked too good to resist, and they kind of stuck. C.'s suggestion of lemon zest really brightened it up nicely. And it's very tasty with ice cream.


Peach Cake
adapted from Gourmet (September 2009)

1 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick (8 tbsp.) butter, softened
1/3 c. white sugar
1/3 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. almond
zest of 1 lemon
2 peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced into 1/4-inch wedges


1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly butter a springform pan or a 9" round cake pan. (Either works.)

2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in small bowl.

3. Beat butter and sugar in electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one, then beat in extracts and zest.

4. At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just combined.

5. Spread batter evenly in pan, then arrange peach slices on top in concentric circles.

6. Bake 45-50 mins., until cake is golden brown on top. Cool on wire rack; remove from pan after 10 mins. if using springform.