Irresistible Peach Cupcakes with Dreamy Vanilla Buttercream

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My easy peach cupcakes are a fun and delicious way to enjoy the flavors of traditional peach cobbler, all packed into a moist and light cupcake. They’re ideal for dessert lovers, home bakers, or anyone who appreciates gourmet-style cupcakes. With a cinnamon-spiced base, a sweet peach pie filling in the middle, and a silky smooth vanilla buttercream on top, these cupcakes are sure to become one of your favorite peach recipes!

I absolutely love the flavors of peach cobbler! So much so that I took the classic Southern recipe and even created my own vegan peach cobbler and a peach cobbler pound cake, both of which are divine! 

But then I thought, wouldn’t it be amazing to combine everything I love about peach cobbler with everything I love about cake? The result was these peach cupcakes! I like to think of them as a handheld twist on traditional cobbler that’s super yummy and really easy to make.

Make sure to give some of my other Southern-inspired recipes a try too! Favorites include my biscuits without baking powder, vegetarian black eyed peas, and healthy cornbread.

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🥘 Ingredients

You likely already have most of what you need to make these cupcakes with peaches. My recipe calls for simple ingredients that you can find at any grocery store. For the exact amounts and nutritional info, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Peaches: You can make my peach cupcakes with canned peaches, fresh peaches, or frozen peaches. They all work perfectly for the peach pie filling.

Brown Sugar: Used to sweeten the filling and the cupcake batter, I like to use light brown sugar for the deep molasses flavor. You could also use granulated sugar, cane sugar, or coconut sugar if you prefer. 

Butter: Added for richness to both the filling and cupcakes, it adds depth of flavor that complements the peaches. Butter is also used as the base of my buttercream frosting. I typically use unsalted butter in desserts.

Salt: Salt is an important ingredient in baking that helps to balance sweetness and enhance flavors. I add a pinch to the filling and cake batter.

Cornstarch: Also called cornflour, I use a cornstarch slurry to thicken the filling. A slurry is simply cornstarch mixed with a little water. 

All-Purpose Flour: Simple all purpose flour forms the base of my cupcake batter. If you’re gluten free, use your favorite 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.

Baking Powder: I use this powerful leavening agent to make my cupcakes light and fluffy.

Ground Cinnamon: For a little aromatic warm spice, I blend some ground cinnamon into the batter. Pumpkin pie spice or nutmeg would be equally delicious here.

Lemon Juice: The acid in the lemon juice helps to bring out the sweetness of the peaches and gives the milk a buttermilk-like taste.

Milk: I use milk to add moisture and richness to the cupcakes. Feel free to use dairy milk or plant-based milk such as oat milk, almond milk, or soy milk.

Vanilla: Gives the cupcakes and buttercream their vanilla taste. I recommend using pure vanilla extract for the most intense flavor.

Egg: Works to bind the batter together and provide structure. I use a room-temperature egg so the ingredients emulsify properly. 

Powdered Sugar: Some people call it icing sugar too, powdered sugar sweetens the frosting and gives it structure. I always sift my powdered sugar to break up any lumps.

Heavy Cream: I add a little bit of heavy cream to the frosting to thin it out and give it a velvety smooth consistency.

🔪 How To Make Peach Cupcakes

This recipe for peach cupcakes is much easier than you might think. Even if you’re new to baking, you can master this dessert by following my easy instructions. Watch my video below to see the step-by-step process.

Make Filling: I begin preparing my peach cupcake filling by adding all of the ingredients to a pot, except the cornstarch. Then I heat the mixture over medium heat until the butter is melted and the sugar has dissolved. 

Thicken Filling: In a medium bowl, I mix the cornstarch with 1 teaspoon of water to form a slurry. Then I pour it into the cooked peaches, stirring continuously until the filling thickens. Once thickened, I remove the pot from the heat and allow the filling to cool.

Preheat Oven: Before starting the cupcakes, I preheat my oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius) and line a 12-cavity cupcake tin with cupcake liners.

Prep Ingredients: I sift the all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt into a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, I stir the lemon juice, milk, and vanilla extract together and set both bowls aside.

Cream Butter And Sugar: To begin the batter, I put the softened butter and brown sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. I cream them together on medium-high speed for about 4 minutes until light and fluffy. Then I add the egg and mix until combined. You can also use an electric mixer.

Add Wet And Dry Ingredients: First, I add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on medium speed to incorporate. Then I add half of the wet ingredients and mix again. I scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Finally, I add the remaining wet and dry ingredients and mix for another 2-3 minutes until well combined.

Bake: When the batter is ready, I use a large ice cream scoop to evenly divide it among the 12 liners in the cupcake pan. Then I put the cupcakes in the oven and let them bake for 15-20 minutes until the tops are lightly golden brown or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool: After removing the cupcakes from the oven, I let them cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Start Buttercream: To make the vanilla frosting, I start by putting the softened butter and powdered sugar into the bowl of my stand mixer and beat them together on medium speed for 4-5 minutes.

Add Vanilla And Cream: To finish the buttercream, I add the vanilla extract and heavy cream, and mix for another 1-2 minutes until nice and smooth.

Form Holes: Once the cupcakes have cooled to room temperature, I use a small knife to remove the center of each one, making sure not to cut all the way to the bottom. This is where the filling will go.

Add Filling: After all the holes are formed in my cupcakes, I fill each one with the peach filling. I don’t use it all, as I reserve some of it for the top of the cupcakes.

Frost: To add the buttercream, I use a pastry bag to pipe some on top of each cupcake. You could also use a spoon.

Finish And Serve: To complete my cupcakes, I add a little bit of the reserved peach filling to the top of each one. You can also top them with fresh peach slices! Now, I serve them to my family to enjoy!

📖 Variations

Gluten Free: To make them gluten free, I simply replace the all purpose flour with 1:1 gluten-free baking flour that contains xanthan gum. You could also try gluten-free oat flour, but the cupcakes may be a little dense.

Vegan: It’s really easy to make vegan peach cupcakes by using vegan butter, almond milk, and a flax egg. To make a flax egg all you have to do is mix 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseeds with 2.5 tablespoons of water and let it sit for about 5 minutes to become an egg-like consistency. For the frosting, you can use vegan butter and swap the heavy cream for coconut cream. 

Low Sugar: If I want to make this recipe a little lower in sugar I reduce the amount of frosting on each cupcake by half or even ⅔, and that cuts about 15-20 grams of sugar from each cupcake! You could even omit the frosting altogether. 

Box Cake Mix: Sometimes there just isn’t enough time to make homemade batter, but you can easily make my peach cupcakes with cake mix instead. I recommend using yellow cake mix, vanilla cake mix, or white cake mix, and stirring some ground cinnamon into the batter. 

Peach Cobbler Cupcakes: Turn this into a peach cobbler cupcake recipe! Make a crumble topping like the one I use for my cinnamon streusel muffins and sprinkle a little on top before baking the cupcakes or bake the crumble separately and then top your iced cupcakes with it! You could even top them with some leftover crumbled pie crust to make peach pie cupcakes.

Peaches And Cream Cupcakes: If you’re a fan of classic peaches and cream, leave off the buttercream and top your cupcakes with some whipped cream instead! 

Honey Peach Cupcakes: Infuse your cupcakes with natural sweetness by replacing the brown sugar in the filling with honey. You can even drizzle a little honey over the frosting for an extra touch of sweetness and shine. If you’re vegan, my vegan honey works perfectly!

Peach Buttercream: Make peach cupcakes with peach buttercream! Simply add some pureed peaches or peach preserves to your frosting for a more peachy flavor. I suggest adding a couple of tablespoons at a time so you don’t thin out the frosting too much.

Cream Cheese Frosting: Instead of buttercream try making peach cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. The tangy cream cheese works well with the peaches. My keto carrot cake cream cheese frosting would be perfect. You could even blend in a little ground cinnamon and top them with cinnamon cream cheese frosting! 

Other Filling Flavors: Experiment with your peach filling by incorporating additional flavors. You could mix in some candied ginger for a warm, spicy kick, shredded coconut for a tropical flair, or raspberry jam for a sweet-tart contrast. 

🍽 Serving Suggestions

My cupcakes are versatile and can be enjoyed in various ways, whether you’re looking for a simple treat or something more indulgent. Here are some of my favorite ways to serve them:

With Beverages: Pair them with a warm beverage to highlight their cozy, comforting flavors. My lavender latte, Biscoff latte, or oatmilk honey latte would be perfect. If you want something more refreshing and keeping with the peach theme, serve them with my peach milk or banana peach smoothie.

With Ice Cream: For a truly indulgent dessert, serve them with a scoop of my mango nice cream, lychee ice cream, or caramel nice cream. They would also be delicious with my coconut milkshake.

🫙 Storage Directions

Room Temperature: I store the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. If your kitchen is particularly warm or humid, you might want to consider refrigerating them to prevent the frosting from becoming too soft or melting.

Fridge: If I need to store them longer, I move them to the fridge where they will keep for about 4 days. However, be aware that refrigeration can cause the cupcakes to lose some of their moisture, making them slightly drier. I suggest taking the cupcakes out of the fridge a few hours before serving to allow them to come back to room temperature, which will help restore some of their original texture and flavor.

Freezer: Unfortunately, this recipe doesn’t freeze well. It’s best to enjoy these cupcakes within a few days of making them for the best experience.

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