Food Network Cupcake Wars: Peaches ‘n Cream Cupcake Recipe

Peaches 'n Cream

Here is my exclusive Peaches ‘N Cream Cupcake Recipe from the Winning Cupcakes from Food Network’s Cupcake Wars!

Peaches ‘N Cream Cupcakes

Courtesy of Annette Starbuck 

Ingredients:

Cupcakes

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon peach extract
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup peach puree

Filling

• 2 cups fresh or frozen peaches, pureed
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Mascarpone Frosting

• 1 pound mascarpone cheese
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

 

Directions:

For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place 12 liners in a cupcake pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, beat the sugar and butter together using an electric mixer until it looks creamy. Beat in the egg, vanilla extract and peach extract until the mixture is smooth. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir until almost combined. Add the buttermilk and peach puree and stir again until almost combined. Add the rest of the flour and stir until all the ingredients are mixed in.

Fill the cupcake liners with batter using a large ice cream scoop. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pans. Place on a wire rack and cool completely.

For the filling: Place small saucepan on the stovetop and put on medium heat. Put the peaches and sugar in and bring to slight boil. In a separate small bowl, mix the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water until no lumps. Add the cornstarch mixture to the pan and keep on medium-low heat for about 1 minute. Cool completely before use. Yield: about 1 1/2 cups.

For the frosting: Put the mascarpone, cream and confectioners’ sugar in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until thick, 4 to 5 minutes. Yield: about 2 cups.

Fill the cupcakes with the peach filling and then frost with the mascarpone frosting.

Peaches n' Cream Cupcakes I did as Wedding Favors

And the winner is…. Annette – Cupcake Wars Season 3 Premiere

Wow.  So the last few months I have been pretty quiet in this blogging world.  I was under strict agreement I couldn’t say anything, but now it’s out!!  We have been filming Cupcake Wars!!!  The season premiere aired this past Tuesday on Food Network Channel and for all of you who haven’t seen it yet….WE WON!!!!  Yes, I just spoiled it for you!  SORRY!  I can’t help but be so proud and amazed and I just want to shout it from the roof tops.  Although we DID have REALLY tough competition from Just Cupcakes, Knead Sugar, and Brown’s Bakery!  All three of them are amazing!

I get a LOT of questions asking about my experience, what it was like, what happens, etc.  All I can say is it was the SINGLE MOST intense moment in my entire life and YES I would do it again!  Cupcake Wars really inspired me to keep going forward and it helped me realize by Candace Nelson of Sprinkles and Florian Bellanger of Mad Macs NYC that my cupcakes are outstanding and incredible.  None of the judges had anything bad to say other then a slight comment about using some fresh mint.

When I watched the show for the first time with the rest of the country, I couldn’t believe my ears when at one point Florian said that it was the “cleanest displays they have had on the show”.  Words could not describe what i felt when I heard that.  I was thrilled and overwhelmed by him noticing all of my attention to detail from the moss, fresh roses, antique trophies… I wanted to make sure I captured the true elegance that goes with this amazing traditional Kentucky Derby.  And then I can’t even describe what an amazing opportunity it was to be able to have our cupcakes on the Red Carpet at the 137th Kentucky Derby!!  To meet people like Guy Fieri, Bobby Flay, Nick Lachey, Vanessa Minnillo, and Salt N Pepa is indescribable!  And they all LOVED the cupcakes and were so sweet!!!  It’s not everyday you are able to have critics like them!

If you don’t have cable (I know a lot of you use Netflix and Hulu) you can watch the winning scene here: http://youtu.be/y8DY-9_-X6Y

Now comes the aftermath of winning Cupcake Wars!  That night, I was overwhelmed with texts, emails, Facebook posts, Tweets, Phone Calls, and so much more…I have tried my best to make sure I answered each and every one of you personally.  I can’t be more thankful to all my fans and supporters out there.  As far as future as Goodie Girls, we are in the process of opening our store front in Glendale, CA.   It is located just 3 blocks from Americana at 415 East Broadway St #100, Glendale, CA 91205.  Until the store opens, we are doing mail orders for our HOTTEST new product called the Cake-Up, which are push up cakes!!  They are divine and SHIPPABLE!!  Other than that we have been busy with some very large events including at The Grove for the “Judy Moody Not so Bummer Summer” movie premiere with Radio Disney, the Sephora Girls night Out for Fox Searchlight Movie “The Art of Getting By”, The “Malibu Wine & Food Festival”, and also we are at the Friday Food Fair every Friday at the Chefs Center in Pasadena, CA at 45 N. San Gabriel Blvd, Pasadena, CA (which we sell out at so get there early)!!  🙂

Please sign up for our “Sweet List” at www.thegoodiegirls.com if you would like to keep up with us, our news, updates, and an invite to our Grand Opening Party for our store soon to come.

We appreciate ALL of you and would love to hear from you each one of you whenever you can!  Again…we are only here because of YOU!

And I MUST give a HUGE shout out and THANK YOU to my assistant on the show, Jackie Brubaker.  She was unbelievable!!  Please check her out in her band called Jackie Brubaker and The Ex-Boyrfriends!  Also to my Dad, Doug Starbuck (owner of Starside Designs in Riverside, CA), Step Mom Stephanie, and my unbelievably supportive Pop Star husband A.N.T. (www.poptronicant.com)!  Without all of their help and support, I would never have gotten to where I am today.  They push me, the help me, the encourage me and tell me I CAN do it!!!  So THANK YOU AGAIN ALL!!!

Please visit us at www.thegoodiegirls.com, our Facebook at www.facebook.com/goodiegirls, and our twitter at www.twitter.com/goodiegirlcooks or email us at info@thegoodiegirls.com.  🙂

❤ all of you… Annette Starbuck …GG

Cake-Ups and new things

Hello all!!

I know it has been quite some time since I have written.  Shame on me!!  Although I have to admit we have had a lot going on over the past few months so we have been diligently working hard at our test kitchen for new recipes, new ideas…oh and did I mention we are opening A NEW STORE??  That’s right!  Now you can come into the comfort of our Cupcakery (well soon) and have our delicious cupcakes in style!  We are hoping to open in Mid to Late May.  The store is the cutest brick building (below to the right) that reminds me of a french bistro or something of that nature and I just LOVE the bay window!  It is in the city of Glendale, CA about 3 blocks from the famous Americana shopping center!  So when you are in town, please stop by!  We will release the Grand Opening date and address soon!  On top of that, we have had a few radio interviews (to the left is the one we did at 92.5 KYHY Burbank Radio), we did a huge bake sale to raise money for Japan in which we raised over $120,000 nationally, and we have been gearing up for our next events!

Another new item we have been crafting is our new addition to our line which we named the “Cake-Ups”.  These have got to be the best invention ever!  We have been testing them now for quite some time and they have become such a tremendous hit that they have officially made it to our menu!  I have to say, I am definitely into cupcakes bringing back childhood memories.  So why not take an old fashioned Push up (from the ice cream days) and fill it with cake and frosting instead?  BRILLIANT!  Plus I wanted to find something that we could ship nationally.  I have seen plenty of other cupcakery’s ship cupcakes made in mason jars, but who really wants to pay $40 for shipping.  Cake-Ups eliminate such a heavy package in transit, thus reducing the cost dramatically!  So who is going to be the first on YOUR block to have them??  Better hurry as the trend is definitely setting in!

And then we get to new flavors.  Again bringing in the childhood theme, I sat around and wondered what reminded me of my childhood.  Macaroni and Cheese was the first thing that popped in my head…but in a cupcake…not so much.   And then it came to me…Blueberry Pancakes and Peanut Butter & Jelly!  And the funny thing is I actually am still in love with these foods.  For any of you who know me personally, I would eat blueberry pancakes anytime it is served up on a menu and Peanut Butter & Jelly is my midnight snack!  So of course those two had to go in!!!  I decided to make the blueberry pancakes with a buttermilk cake, fresh blueberry filling, and a maple French Buttercream.  Although these have to be my most loved cupcake I make, they are also VERY temperamental because of the French Buttercream.  For any of you who have worked with it, it MELTS very easy!!  So they have to be eaten on the spot or kept very cool.  But oh boy!  When that maple buttercream hits your lips and melts…it is so yummy!  For the PB&J I did a vanilla cake, grape jelly, and a divine peanut butter buttercream.  It tastes like an elegant uncrustable!   Again…YUMMY!

Ok, now that I have overloaded you on information that has been going on…I will leave you on that note!  Please make sure to check out our website at http://www.thegoodiegirls.com.  We have a lot of upcoming events around Southern California in a variety of categories!  We hope to see you either at one or at our Grand opening!!!

❤ GG

1 Sweet Wedding Cake Alternative Event

Hello out there!  A few weeks ago, we were honored to be asked to be a part of 1 Sweet Wedding’s Cake Alternative Event.  1 Sweet Wedding is an amazing organization that focuses on “Unique” wedding ideas and takes the guessing games out of which vendors are reliable for you!  How amazing huh!!  It’s already hard enough to be a bride with all the stress, so why add more?

We decided to go with a couple unique flavors.  We stared with a soft Rose Cupcake Frosted with a Rose frosting.  Then we moved into a little spring flavor of a Peach Vanilla Cake, Peach filling, and a White Wine Frosting for our Peach Bellini Cupcake.  And last but not least, we wanted to give  bold flavor for the guys and went with a Mint Julep Cupcake which was a Jack Daniels Cake and a Creme de Menthe & Jack Frosting.

We adorned some of our cakes with these adorable Bride and Grooms we got from Sur la Table and also threw in the mix an idea for brides to not only do cupcakes as a cake alternative, but you can also do them as a party favor!  So you CAN have your cake and eat it too!!

 

❤ GG

After the Drink.Eat.Play Cupcake Challenge – Recap and Pix

Hello Cupcake fans!

As many of you know, the annual Drink.Eat.Play Cupcake Challenge went down at the Renaissance Hotel in Hollywood this past Saturday.  We were in charge of baking 650 cupcakes PER flavor = 1300 cupcakes total (we did a Chocolate Salted Caramel and a Pineapple Upside Down)l!  We were lucky enough to be able to bake about 96 every 12-15 minutes so the baking part was a breeze.  The Salted Caramel frosting also went by pretty darn fast!  I think the longest part of everything had to have been filling the cupcakes with the pineapple filling.  I cooked this down from scratch so of course the real pineapple chunks were too big to fit through my filling tip so we had to spoon them in by hand one at a time.  Thank goodness Stephanie was up for that task!  I would have pulled my hair out!

I do have to mention the boxes I ordered online to be delivered with a promised delivery date via UPS was Friday.  Lets just say Friday came and went and NO boxes.  Not to mention UPS had the WORST customer service ever!  So from now on, Goodie Girls is boycotting UPS and will only ship Fedex from now on!  Saturday morning I called every open bakery near my house begging for someone to sell me some bakery boxes with no luck.  I then found this AMAZING restaurant supply store called Surfas in West Los Angeles.  They had mounds of boxes and so I jetted down there!  To my surprise, this place was unbelievable!!  It looked like a bakers heaven and not to mention it was at such discounted prices!  I scooped up more then enough boxes at less than $.90 a piece which was much cheaper then I was buying them for online anyhow!  Not to mention the customer service there was incredible!  THANK YOU SURFAS FOR BEING THERE FOR US!

Ok…now back to the kitchen, boxed everything up and off to the Challenge.  We got there fairly early and set up.  I couldn’t believe how many amazing displays there were and different kinds of cupcakes.  We were lucky enough to be placed next to the amazing Holli from Hollicakes (http://www.hollicakesblog.com/) and Double D’s (http://doubledcupcakes.com).  Such a pleasure to work beside both these incredibly talented individuals!

When the doors opened, the true cupcake connoisseur’s came through.  They formed lines out the doors and filled their plates, boxes, trays, or whatever they brought with them up with the most amazing little treats.  I have to say I was truly impressed with what people brought to carry these cupcakes in!  They definitely

weren’t knew to this annual event!  Even though the votes aren’t counted yet for winners, I think we won either way from how many people came back to tell us how amazing our cupcakes were.  We even woke up with our inbox full of orders people wanted because they had attended the event!!!

Thank you again to everyone who came out and hope to see you all very soon and to all the new cupcake bakers we were proud to meet, we hope to see you very soon!

❤

GG

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Dipping your own Cupcake Pops

Happy Monday!

Last night we were honored to be asked by the lovely and talented Susanne of First Impressions Dating to participate in her Sweets ‘N Treats Event in Anaheim, CA.

On the menu: Red Velvet and Vanilla Almond Cupcake Pops.  Of course this time we were setting up to do party style, meaning we brought undone product and let the guests play around making their own creations!  So we tackled the hard part ahead of time baking the cakes, rolling them into balls and sticking in the sticks.

We brought with us Red and Pink Candy Melts as well as the amazing Scharffen Berger Dark Chocolate as dipping sauces and of course tons of sprinkles to decorate with.

I have to say, they all did so amazing and we had a blast!  Of course we had the occasional cake falling off the stick into the sauces, but that’s what makes this FUN! Also wanted to thank my favorite JamieLee from JamieLee Style for always being such a positive inspiration and capturing the fun!   Also thank you to all the amazing other vendors that were there.  I especially loved the shoe display from the lovely Margaux with Footprints International!

Check out our pictures below!  If you would like to book a party with Goodie Girls, please email us at info@thegoodiegirls.com!

XOXO…GG

 

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80’s Cupcakes – Rubix Cubes and Gold Stars

We were asked to create 80’s cupcakes for an event this past week.  I went to the drawing board and wanted something different.  SO many people do the ghetto blasters, pac man, MTV logos, etc… what could I do that would be different?  And then it hit us!  Rubix Cube Cupcakes (Chocolate Cupcake w/Chambord Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting) and Gold Stars Cupcakes (Chocolate Cupcake w/Almond Cream Cheese Frosting).  And to top it off, I decided not to do fondant rubix cubes, but to actually put real miniature ones on top so they could play with them!

I have to say, I think they look fabulous and I got a little taster in from some mini’s I made on the side and boy were they yummy!

 

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Drink.Eat.Play Cupcake Challenge 2011

Good Morning!

After Cupcake Camp Los Angeles, I was approached by a member of Drink.Eat.Play to participate in this years Cupcake Challenge at the Renaissance Hotel in Hollywood, CA.  Without even a blink of an eye I said YES!  I mean, what an honor to be asked to participate in this amazing event and I just love baking anyways, so why not!  And then I started doing research and realized that this event is HUGE!  Last year there was over 500 attendees and countless press including all the local news shows.  Not to mention, only the top bakeries in Southern California participated!!  With that being said, instead of getting intimidated, I decided that the guy who invited me must have just loved our cupcakes and thought we would do well so I am taking this as a HUGE compliment and we are going to do our absolute best!

You are allowed to do up to 2 flavors, but each flavor you must make a minimum of 650 cupcakes.  Tickets are $40 per person but that includes 1 cupcake of every single flavor from every single cupcake baker in the whole place…meaning most people will go home with around 50-70 cupcakes!  So the $40 is a STEAL!  And, what better way then if you are getting married to come cake testing?  You will have flavors ranging from your classic vanilla/chocolate/red velvet to some of last years flavors of Maple Bacon (Renaissance Hotel), Key Lime (My Delight Cupcakery) and Spiced Apple (Urban Sweets).  And of course…OUR FLAVOR which is top secret!

So, I hope to see you all there…I promise I will have enough for you all!  And, if there is any leftover at the end, please don’t hesitate to come take them from me!

❤ GG

Cupcake Camp Hollywood / Los Angeles

Hello Cupcaketeers!

I can’t believe it’s been so long since I have posted.  Shame on me!  There has been so much going on after the 1st Cupcake Camp that I have been running around like a crazy person!  But here is to staying up to date in the wonderful year of 2011!

As for Cupcake Camp Hollywood, what an amazing time we had.  We had our usual suspects with us to help (thank you Stephanie Starbuck, Jamie Lee, Doug Starbuck, Kayla Starbuck, and A.N.T.)!  And you have to give it to the guys for cooperating to wear my signature pink shoes!

The day started off in a frantic, rain was in the forecast and we were arriving a bit late for set up, but upon arrival, we loaded in and set up just in time before the doors opened.  And oh boy, when the doors opened it was a crowdfest headed our way!  What excitement!!!  🙂

Our flavors on board with us, we decided upon a “Hot Chocolate” theme so we did all cakes “Hot Chocolate” and then went for different toppings which included Salted Caramel, Peppermint, Marshmallow, and Stephanie’s signature Chambord!

Upon entering, the people were given beads to give to the baker of their choice.  After the 1st tasting, we didn’t place, but the 2nd round we took 2nd place and received an amazing Scharffen Berger gift basket.  Not to mention, they sent us a huge box full of chocolate goodies to help bake our cupcakes prior to the event!  (THANK YOU!!!)

We met some amazing bakers out there including the owner and mastermind of Cake Pops and a young first timer Jackie Brubaker who had delicious alcohol based treats!

Thank you to everyone who came out and a huge thank you to Babette from www.bakespace.com who organized it all!  We can’t wait for next year!

Here are some photos from fans and our own that we thought we would share!  Cheers!

 

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Cupcake Camp IE – Results

Annette Starbuck - Founder

Hello all!!

As most of you know, I recently was involved with Cupcake Camp IE at the Mission Inn in Riverside, CA.  I wanted to post afterwards to give you some amazing pictures and to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who attended.  There was an unbelievable turnout!  Thank you to Addie of Frosted Heaven Cupcakery for putting this event on!  What a fantastic job!  With over 600 attendees,  I have been told we raised over $8,400 towards the Susan G. Komen Inland Empire Charity in just 3 hours!!!  This is what it was all about.

Also a huge CONGRATS to The Cake Mama’s for winning the Tastiest Professional Cupcake.  I have to agree!  Even though I am a huge fan of my own, I did think that theirs were absolutely exquisite!

I have attached a photo gallery for all Goodie Girl’s Cupcake Eaters!  Thank you and hope to see you at the Cupcake Camp Hollywood on November 20th!

Hope you enjoy the pictures!

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