Strawberry Peach Basil Cupcakes
We had a bakoff at work and I wanted to make a cupcake with a creative flavor combination. To get inspiration I decided to flip through the Iron Cupcake Earth Flickr pool. There are some great cupcake photos in there! I could spend hours just browsing through that photo pool… I came across this recipe and thought it sounded perfect. I’ve made lemon blueberry basil cupcakes before that were delicious.
I used the recipe from Take the Cannoli as inspiration for the flavor combo but just used my own recipes. The cupcakes are Martha Stewart’s yellow buttermilk cupcakes that I made recently with rave reviews.
For the filling, I used the peach jam I just made. I stirred in about two cups of fresh strawberries and reduced it on the stove until it thickened up even more. Then I let the jam mixture cool.
Once the jam was completely cool, I strained some of it through the strainer to get out any pulp and seeds. That strained off version is the sauce that I added to the top of the cupcakes for some additional color. I added some thinly sliced fresh basil to the remaining jam mixture to use to fill the cupcakes.
For the frosting, I used the same base recipe that I posted yesterday, using french vanilla pudding. This base frosting recipe is great and very easy to mix up. Once it was mixed, I added some of the jam filling to the frosting until it got enough of a hint of the fruit and basil without being over powering. Then I added another pinch of the freshly chopped basil just for good measure. I enjoy this type of frosting best at room temperature, so while I do store these cupcakes overnight in the fridge, definitely let them warm up a bit before serving.
I’m happy to announce that I did win the Innovation Award for most creative flavor combination. All the hard work and taste testing paid off!
Don’t forget to enter in my 2nd blogiversary giveaway by midnight on August 28th! You could win some cute cupcake liners like the red ones seen in this post!
Check out my week of cupcakes here.
Vanilla Frosting
Ingredients:
1/2 lb. unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
1 stick salted butter, softened
1/2 pkg french vanilla instant pudding mix
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup (or more to suit your tastes) powdered sugar
Directions:
In mixer set on medium speed, beat the butter until smooth and silky.
Turn the speed to low and add the pudding mix, when it is all incorporated, slowly add the cream, a little at a time. When fully incorporated bring speed up to high and beat for 5-7 minutes.
Turn speed back down to low and add powdered sugar by Tbsp., tasting along the way. When it is sweet to your taste, beat again at high speed for a good 5 minutes to really break down any graininess that you might get from the powdered sugar.
Bring back down to low speed and beat for a while that way to get rid of air bubbles.
Recipe from Fields of Cake
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
Those are adorable! I love the idea of lemon meringue cupcakes.
They are adorable!! Great job and I am glad you had success with the recipe.
Congrats on a successful challenge!
OMG, are they cute! Like little porcupines. So glad it turned out for you. Fab job!
I really liked your idea of making the cupcakes. No cutting up and great single sized servings. They look just great.
Makes me wonder– why didn’t I think of that?
Hey~ I made lemon maringue cuppies too! I am so sold on making pies this way in the future- very fun. Love the spikies- great job.
Your LMP looks great! I love the cuppies
LMP cuppys rule! ::high five:: love all the pictures of your process… great job!
I really like the little pies everyone is making..now I want to redo mine.blessings,
marye
http://bakingdelights.com
Oh so cute! I had considered trying my second attempt in a cupcake tin… until I waited until the last minute, that is! 🙂
Congrats! These look fabulously divine!
Ah ha, another fellow Boston baker! Your tarts are beautiful! Love the peaks on the meringue!
Those are so perfect!
PS: I have those red measuring bowls. I love them! 😀
so SMART to have all of your ingredients out FIRST. I really should know this by now.
Ooooh, I love your cupcake-pies. How’d you make the meringue spikey?
And what did the husband think of the final product?
your little ones are adorable. Great job on your challenge!!
your lemon meringue cupcakes are so cute! job well done! 🙂
They’re so cute!! Great job!! :O)
i had that crust shrinkage problem too. it’s a bummer.
———-
kate
http://www.thecleanplateclub.net
Dolores – I just spread the meringue around and then using a spatula, pressed it into the meringue and pulled it out and voila! Spikes!
Your little cupcakes are adorable! That was a great idea!
Your little tarts lok just lovely. well done!
a challenge executed incrediblely well!
They look just perfect!!
Nice job!
Too cute! Love the cupcakes. I want one!
My crust did the same thing! Your cupcakes look great though!
~Carrie from bakersbakery.wordpress.com
Your “pie-cups” look perfect. Great job!
Jane of VeganBits.com
Very cute! Did you turn away and silently mock your husband “my mom makes a great…”, no of course you wouldn’t have, I must be projecting 🙂
You did a wonderful job on your lemon meringue tarts!
Natalie @ Gluten A Go Go
~ We’re lactose intolerant at our house too.
Nice cupcakes! And if it makes you feel any better, I’ve been a DB’er for a year and friends and family, all non-bloggers, always know what I’m making. They kinda have to since I always tape the recipe up on the kitchen cupboards!
Yayy! I love reading success posts like this! They look great and that’s a good idea to bake them in muffin tins. Well done!
I love your little lemon meringues!
Awesome! I love how differently everyone’s turned out, but these little cuties are so adorable 🙂 Great job!!
So cute! I’m sure everyone enjoyed you addition to the spread!
I love cupcake idea. One big pie seems so messy, these seem neat and tidy. Congrats on another successful challenge!
The shrinking crust always affects my mini cupcake pies too. The trick is to make them overhang the cups enough so that they shrink down to just the right size. Your little pies are darling!
It’s awesome for me to have a website, which is helpful in
favor of my know-how. thanks admin