The Empress Turns Four

My youngest little darling, The Empress of Cute and Grand Duchess of Adorability, turned four years old this past weekend.  She got to visit her Grandparents, run through the sprinkler, eat popsicles and generally have a good time.

Once we got home, it was time to make cupcakes and send them to school for her to share with her classmates.  This recipe is pretty easy to make casein-free as well as gluten free if you need to.

I give you:

Peach Princess Cupcakes

Start by making a batch of hard candy (I flavored mine with peach oil) and use faceted gem molds for your candies.

Note, in the background you can see some royal icing and sugar gem tiaras that I'd tried to make.  It was too humid and sticky out - they collapsed when I took them off the waxed paper.  But, make your decorations and set them aside.

Cupcakes:

2 small peaches
2 Tbsp lemon juice
6 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/4 c. sugar
3 c. Fancy Flour Blend, other GF AP flour OR
1/2 c. millet flour
1/2 c. sweet rice flour
1 c. white rice flour
3/4 c. + 2 Tbsp tapioca starch
2 Tbsp potato starch
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
4 egg whites, beaten until just foamy
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.

Peel and slice peaches and toss with lemon juice.  Puree.  Measure out 1 c. puree.  If you are a little short, fill in the gap with a little milk.  Set aside.

Combine flour, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt.  Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together sugar and butter.  Add the egg whites in three separate additions, blending well.  Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Add the dry ingredients and peach puree alternately.  Scrape down the bowl again.  Add the extracts, and beat on medium for two minutes.  I also added a drop of ivory and a drop of copper food coloring.

Portion into cupcake liners with a 2 oz disher.  Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Cool completely.  

Almond Buttercream

1/4 c. salted butter
1/2 c. shortening
2 lbs. powdered sugar
1/4-1/2 c. milk
1 tsp almond extract

Cream together butter and shortening.  Add about 1 c. of powdered sugar.  Blend well.  Add almond extract and about 1 Tbsp of milk.  Continue adding sugar and milk in alternating additions until all sugar is incorporated and a smooth texture is reached, soft enough for piping.

For these cupcakes, I added several drops of ivory color and one drop of rose pink.  I piped the icing on the cupcakes with a shell tip, then sprayed them with pearl spray.  Then I added the sugar pearls and hard candy gems.

Ta-Da!  Cupcakes fit for a Princess!  Or even an Empress.