Want to make an instant summertime classic? Just transform your favorite poolside drink into dessert, and you’ll get these amazing white peach sangria cupcakes!
I don’t know about you, but I have always been a strong advocate for bringing a pitcher of ice-cold sangria to the backyard bbq or pool. It’s light and refreshing and fun for the adults!
Just Add Wine!
In the world of sangrias, I have to say that I prefer white sangria, probably because I’m a big white wine fan Let’s save the red for a juicy steak or quiet night in front of a fire. And if you know your sangria like I do, you know that the combination of ingredients runs the gamut!
You name it, you can make sangria with it: raspberries, strawberries, limes, pears, blueberries, triple sec, brandy, cointreau. The list goes on and on.
There is only one ingredient that is a must: wine! When I make sangria, I make sure I use a wine that I wouldn’t mind drinking alone, but I usually don’t reach for the top-shelf, pricey bottle. Hey, I’m going to be adding a lot of goodies to is anyway, right?
Once I have my bottle picked out, I select my add-ins. I spring for fruits that give off a lot of natural flavors and juices, like a sweet citrus. I also try to match the hue of the fruits to the wine im using (berries for red wine, stone fruits and citrus for white).
So, when I grab that bottle of white, I also make a stop in the produce department to grab peaches. White peach sangria is my absolute favorite. And since peaches are in season in the summer, it’s a no-brainer!
When I began thinking of all of the poolside treats I wanted to make this summer, sangria was at the top of my list! But then I stumbled upon this Wilton recipe for wine buttercream. Yupp I said it, WINE BUTTERCREAM!
The idea instantly sparked! If I can add wine to buttercream, and I can add fruit to cupcakes, what is stopping me from making a sangria cupcake?
Wine Syrup
How do you add wine to buttercream though? Wouldn’t it break or become runny? Not if you turn it into syrup. Just pour it in a saucepan and reduce it down! You will end up with a super-concentrated, wine nectar of the gods!
Now, the Wilton recipe would be great over chocolate cupcakes, but that wasn’t my end goal! I wanted white peach sangria cupcakes! So swapped out the red wine for white, and to mimic my favorite peach sangria, I also subbed out some of the wine for peach nectar. Boom! Sangria frosting!
For the very best frosting, I highly highly recommend getting a KitchenAid stand mixer. I have used hand mixers in the past, and even just a whisk and my arm, but nothing is as easy as a stand mixer! The frosting will get light and fluffy in no time, no elbow grease required! I use one for all of my baking needs: cheesecakes, dough, cookies, even fresh pasta (I will save my speech about the pasta attachments for another time).
But what about the cupcakes? How could I make the other half of this dessert mimic my favorite summertime drink? I’m sure there is some recipe out there for incorporating wine into cake batter, but I took a different approach. I just focused on the fruit! Toss in some chopped peaches, raspberries (or whatever you have on hand) into your favorite vanilla cupcake batter and you are all set.
Whether you are at the first bbq of the summer, or it’s a cold rainy day and you want to be instantly transported to your favorite vacation spot, you can’t go wrong with white peach sangria cupcakes!
White Peach Sangria Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda divided
- pinch of salt
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup greek yogurt
- 8 oz raspberries coarsely chopped
- 2 peaches pitted and coarsely chopped
Sangria Buttercream
- ½ cup peach juice or nectar
- 1½ cups white wine
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup vegetable shortening
- 4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, ½ tsp of baking soda, and salt
- In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer or whisk, mix together eggs, butter, greek yogurt and ½ tsp of baking soda.
- On a low speed, slowly add half of the flour mixture to the liquid until combined. Repeat with the remaining flour.
- With a rubber spatula or large spoon, fold in the raspberries and peaches.
- Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners and divide the batter evenly in each liner, filling to about ⅔ full.
- Bake 14-16 minutes or until a toothpick or fork is inserted and comes out clean. Cool completely.
Sangria Buttercream
- In a saucepot, combine wine and peach juice. Cook over medium heat, a gentle boil, until liquid has reduced down to about ¼ cup.
- In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat butter and shortening until fluffy. Add in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time.
- Add in reduced wine, and beat on medium high until fluffy.
- Frost the cupcakes and garnish with an orange slice, raspberry, and/or peach slice.
