My Chouchoux: Vanilla-Peach Cupcakes/桃子香草杯子蛋糕

*This post first appeared in 2 sisters et 1 cat.

I apologize for not posting for such a long time. A lot has been happening in my life lately and it seems to continue to be that way. I'm not complaining. It has been a great summer, and I've done a lot of what I wanted and needed to do, but I just haven't been able to write and come up with many words. One thing that keeps me going is that I'm still able to function in the kitchen!

Yes, food to me is therapeutic, whether I work with it or eat it. I get passionate when I see those summer fruits and vegetables on the market stands. Here, we're at the time of year when the summer fruits are going to slowly disappear. I promised a friend's friend to post this recipe several months ago. Knowing that the peach season is ending, I told myself I'd better grab some before they slipped away.

I made this peach cupcake recipe several years ago when we were invited to our friends' BBQ party. As a courteous guest, I always offer to bring something, and since my friend told me that she wouldn't be making any dessert, I thought these cupcakes would make a very good end-of-party sweet. It was well received, but I soon forgot about it, until I got the request recently from someone who was at the same party.

These cupcakes are light and are not packed with much butter, sugar, or even frosting. If you happen to have a few peaches in the house, give it a try. You'll want to make the recipe over and over again! Enjoy!

P.S.-thanks to J for giving me this "project" to take my mind off some things, and for bringing back this delicious recipe to my memory! Also thanks to M for the invitation, which was the beginning of this recipe!

Vanilla-Peach Cupcake (Makes about 15 cupcakes)

2 medium size peaches, pitted and diced (about 1/3 in")

1 fresh vanilla bean

A: 1 C all-purpose flour

1/2 C whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 t baking powder

3/4 t baking soda

1/4 t salt

B: 4 T (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 T canola oil

1/2 C light brown sugar

1/4 C granulated sugar

C: 1 large egg, room-temperature and lightly beaten

1/4 t vanilla extract

D: 1/2 C plain yogurt

1/4 C milk or soy milk

Decoration:

one 8 oz container of crème fraîche (in the photo, I actually used whipped cream, since I happened to have some in the fridge)

2 peaches, sliced into 1/4" pieces

1. Line 15 muffin cups with paper liners.

2. Sift together ingredients A and set aside.

3. Use a paring knife to split open the vanilla bean and use the tip of the knife to scrape out all the seeds. Mix the seeds with the cut peaches.

4. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF.

5. Beat B in a mixer until fluffy.

6. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then add C.

7. Mix in D at low speed.

8. Pause on low speed several times to mix in ingredients A and fold in the peach chunks.

9. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of cupcakes comes out clean.

10. Cool the cupcakes for five minutes in the muffin pan, then take them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

11. Place a dollop of the crème fraîche and some peach slices on top of each cupcake, and serve.

已經好久沒有po文了，在此向大家抱歉。最近這半年來，身邊發生了不少事情，雖然這個暑假做了許多想做也該做的事，但那複雜的心情，還是讓我無法靜下來好好的寫，唯一能讓我運作的是在廚房裡盡情的發揮。

這個食譜是幾年前的夏天還住在紐約時，去朋友們家裡吃烤肉做的。平時被邀請去朋友家就都會帶自己做的菜或甜點，那次朋友剛好說她不會準備甜點，我就想到這個桃子杯子蛋糕應該很適合吃完重口味的烤肉之後吃。的確那天還頗受好評的（≧∇≦），但是在那之後，其實我就沒有再做過，不用說，這食譜早就被我拋出腦袋瓜外。直到最近，朋友的朋友因為當時有吃到，自己想來嘗試做看看，突然向我詢問這個食譜。