It’s officially summer, y’all! And I’ve been so excited about summer produce this year. Farmers markets, u-pick farms—whatever I can do to get my hands on the good stuff. Which is why I’m so happy to be sharing these Peach Pie Cupcakes with you all today. And I’m doubly excited to be highlighting an ingredient that I’ve been using for years—Crisco®!
ABOUT CRISCO
When I hear Crisco, I automatically think of baking, and my mind goes straight back to my grandma’s kitchen. She was a legendary baker and one of my biggest inspirations. My mom has mentioned many times that Granny always had a tub of Crisco in the kitchen. It truly reminds me of the good, old, comforting Southern classics and the traditional recipes we’ve passed down through the generations.
Crisco is a staple in my pantry, and it’s been a staple in kitchens across the country for years. Since 1911! From being the first shortening product made with plant-based oils and oil seeds to creating the first cooking oil that was light in taste, Crisco revolutionized the way food was prepared and continues to make cooking and baking a breeze—as well as delicious!
More recent Crisco products include Canola, Corn, and Natural Blend oils, Crisco Baking Sticks (super convenient for baking!), and alcohol-free No-Stick Cooking Sprays (great for cooking and grilling!).
BAKING WITH CRISCO
I’ve talked about this many times here on the blog, but I prefer oil based cakes over butter based cakes, or some combination of oil and butter over just butter. The cake turns out moist and fluffy Every. Single. Time. Plus, if you’re using oil and you don’t have to cream butter and sugar together, that makes the cake batter a little easier and faster to whip up.
For cakes, I typically use Crisco® Pure Vegetable Oil or Pure Canola oil. I went with the Vegetable Oil for these cupcakes because I already had some in my pantry, but either will do the trick. Because I wanted the cupcakes to embody all the delicious flavors of a fresh, summery peach pie, I flavored the batter with brown sugar and some spices. It’s easy to mix together and smells so good while baking in the oven.
These cupcakes have a surprise peach filling on the inside, and they’re topped with peach frosting and homemade crumbles to really incorporate everything good and glorious about peach pie! They’re so fun and the perfect way to ring in the summer season.
TIPS FOR THE FLUFFIEST FROSTING
I always use a combination of butter and shortening in all my frosting recipes to create the fluffiest frosting ever, and I love using Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening sticks for this. Butter, obviously, adds that classic buttery texture and flavor. Crisco adds even more creaminess to the mix, so you start out with the perfect base for any frosting.
For these peach-perfect cupcakes, I added some peach preserves to the butter and shortening mixture, and then I began adding the powdered sugar along with a little cream.
Most frosting recipes call for a couple of tablespoons of milk or cream. I really love using heavy cream because I think it totally takes frosting to a new level! We’ve got the creamy texture covered, the flavor and sweetness covered, and the cream adds the perfect amount of moisture, lightness, and fluff.
COOKING WITH CRISCO
Another great thing about Crisco is that it’s super versatile! I’m definitely the baker in my family and have a lot less experience with regular cooking (something I’ve been trying to change this year!). Thankfully, Crisco can be used in a wide variety of ways. Not only can you bake with it in your from-scratch recipes and boxed mixes, it’s also great for cooking and grilling. You can use it in the salad you’re having for lunch and also your home-cooked dinner. Crisco not only works wonders with sweet and savory dishes, it’s also great across all kinds of cuisines. No matter what you’re cooking, it easily fits into whatever you’ve got on the dinner menu this week!
ABOUT THESE PEACH PIE CUPCAKES
The cake: These cupcakes use your standard baking ingredients: flour, sugar, spices, eggs, milk, and, of course, Crisco Pure Vegetable Oil.
The filling: I used store-bought peach preserves for the filling, but if you’re feeling like an overachiever or happen to have a surplus of fresh peaches on your hands, you could also use your favorite homemade peach pie filling here.
The frosting: As I mentioned earlier, this frosting uses both butter and Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening. It’s flavored with some vanilla extract and peach preserves. You can spread the frosting onto the cupcakes or use a piping tip—just make sure to use a tip with a wide opening so the peaches in the preserves don’t stop up your piping tip!
The crumbles: I really really love the crumbles on top of these cupcakes! They’re simple to make and include flour, light brown sugar, a pinch of salt and cinnamon, and melted butter. They’re spread out on a baking sheet and baked until golden brown. These can be made a day in advance and stored at room temperature in a sealed container.
I really hope you give these Peach Pie Cupcakes a try! I love the way the fresh peach slices look with the crumbles on top of these babies. They’re so fun for the whole family and the perfect way to enjoy summer peaches! And it’s all a cinch to make thanks to products like Crisco Pure Vegetable Oil and All-Vegetable Shortening.
Happy summer baking, friends!
Peach Pie Cupcakes
Ingredients
Crumbles
- 6 tbsp packed light brown sugar
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
Cupcakes
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup Crisco Pure Vegetable Oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup peach preserves
Peach Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 stick 1 cup Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening
- ⅓ cup peach preserves
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 fresh peaches sliced, for garnish
Instructions
- To make the crumbles: Preheat oven to 300°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Use your hands to break the mixture into crumbles and spread them on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 10-11 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. (They will harden as they cool).
- Let crumbles cool completely. Make sure to break up any large pieces so all crumbles are about the same size. Store in an air-tight container until ready to use.
- To make the cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two 12-cup muffin/cupcake pans with 20 paper liners.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, ginger, and salt.
- Add both sugars, eggs, oil, vanilla, and milk. Mix on medium speed with an electric mixer until all ingredients are incorporated.
- Divide batter evenly between cake pans. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until cupcakes are lightly golden brown and set in the center. (Test by inserting a toothpick into the center of each cake layer. If it comes out clean, they're done!)
- Let cupcakes cool completely. Once cool, use a sharp knife to cut a little hole in the center of each cupcake. You want the hole to go about halfway down into the cupcake, not all the way through. Spoon peach preserves into each cupcake.
- To make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter on medium speed until smooth. Add shortening and mix until completely incorporated.
- Add peach preserves, vanilla extract, heavy cream, and half of powdered sugar. Mix on low speed until ingredients are mostly combined, and then medium-high speed until completely combined, about 1 minute.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl and repeat with the second half of the powdered sugar.
- Pipe or spread frosting over the cupcakes. Sprinkle with crumble topping and garnish with a fresh peach slice. (If you’re not serving immediately, you may want to wait and add the peach slices right before you serve them.)
- Store cupcakes in a sealed container at room temperature.
Notes
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Perfect for summer and so delicious!
Beautiful photos! They do look delicious! 😀👏
Awesome idea!
I have made these several times. They are divine! Everyone says they taste like gourmet cupcakes. I use peach pie filling in the middle which is amazing! I am actually making them as I type. My grandbabys first birthday was last month, and her theme was sweet as a peach. These were perfect!