I am competing in my first IronCupcake:Earth challenge! This months ingredient is herbs. After some thinking I came up with a Peach-Rosemary Filled Pound Cake Cupcake.

A classic pound cake cupcake filled with homemade Rosemary-Peach jam and topped with cream cheese frosting and garnished with fresh peaches.

I had never baked with rosemary, much less herbs before so I wanted to try something unique. The pound cake cupcakes were super moist and not too sweet so it really let the jam do the talking. I adapted the Southwest Georgia Pound Cake recipe from Paula Deen into cupcakes. (Jump to the recipes)

This is really all there is to it. A simple, no frills recipe.

I filled each cupcake with 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp of jam depending on the hole size. Here are some great step-by-step instructions on how to fill a cupcake.

Look at all that yummy goodness!

Another first for me, was making the jam. It was actually a lot easier than I thought it was going to be. I had envisioned some big ordeal, with sticky jam everywhere. Counters, floor, ceiling, the works. But I’m happy to say, no such mess. You just toss the ingredients together and let it sit for 4 hours, tossing every hour. Cook and mash the jam then process the jars. (recipe)

Mmmm… The rosemary flavor works so well paired with the peaches. I gave a few jars to friends and family but I stocked back a couple for later. Not to be stingy or anything…

The jam would also be really good over ice cream or spread on crackers or breakfast toast.

 

In case you’ve never heard of IronCupcake:Earth before, it is a world-wide baking challenge with not so normal baking ingredients.

Voting begins Tuesday, July 28th and will be open through Wednesday, August 5th. You can use the icon on the right side of the page or go here.

I’ve never been one of those “Vote for Me!!” people so, head on over once the voting begins and vote for your 3 favorites from all of the wonderful entries. Maybe my Peach-Rosemary Filled Cupcakes will be one of them.

 

Oh and… There are prizes! Loads of ‘em…

Etsy Prize-Pack:

• A sweet cupcake ID bracelet by insanejellyfish
• A delicious treat from circlemonkey
• a sweet surprise from Sweet Cuppin’ Cakes Cupcakery
• PLUS, IronCupcake:Earth can not forget our good friend CAKESPY who is now going to be doing a piece for our winner each month until further notice – sweet!

 

Corporate Prize Providers:

• Head Chefs by Fiesta Products
• Hello Cupcake! by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson
• Jessie Steele Aprons
• Taste of Home books
• A t-shirt from Upwithcupcakes.com
• Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers

 

Learn more about IronCupcake:Earth and get in on the fun at www.ironcupcakeearth.com

 

Now… On to the recipes!

Pound Cake Cupcakes:
adapted from The Lady & Sons Just Desserts

2 sticks butter, softened 3 cups sugar 6 eggs 3 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup heavy cream 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cupcakes. In a medium mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together in small bowl. Alternately add flour mixture and heavy cream to sugar mixture, starting and ending with flour. Stir in vanilla. Fill cupcake pans (lined with paper liners) about 1/2 full. Bake 20-23 minutes or until lightly browned on top.

Rosemary-Peach Jam Filling:
adapted from MarthaStewart.com

3 pounds yellow peaches, peeled 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 4 3/4 cups sugar 4 large sprigs fresh rosemary

Halve and pit peaches; cut into 1/2-inch thick wedges. Transfer to a large bowl and add lemon juice; toss. Add sugar and rosemary; toss then cover. Let stand, tossing every hour, for 4 hours. The sugar should be completely dissolved. Put peach mixture into a large wide pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until liquid is syrupy, 12 to 13 minutes. Crush lightly with a potato masher, leaving one-quarter of the wedges intact. Skim the foam from the surface and discard rosemary sprigs. Processing: Fill hot, sterilized 4-ounce jars with hot jam, leaving 1/4 inch space in each jar’s neck. Wipe the rims with a damp, clean cloth; cover tightly with sterilized lids and screw rings. Using tongs or a jar clamp, transfer jars to the rack of a large canning pot filled with hot water. Make sure the jars are kept upright and cover with water by 2 inches. Jars should be spaced 1 inch apart and should not touch sides of pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Process jars in gently boiling water 5 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool 24 hours. If lids pop back when pressed, they are not sealed. Refrigerate immediately and use within 1 month. Sealed jars can be stored in a cool, dark place up to 1 year. Makes about 1 quart. Note: Please refer to the US Department of Agriculture’s canning guidelines for complete instructions on canning and sterilizing jars.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces 1 cup confectioners’ sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In a medium mixing bowl, using a rubber spatula, soften cream cheese. Add butter gradually and continue beating until smooth. Sift in confectioners’ sugar; continue beating until smooth. Add vanilla and stir to combine. Makes about 2 cups.

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Tags: Cupcakes, ICE_012, Iron Cupcake, IronCupcake:Earth, peach jam, Peach-Rosemary
Categories: Cupcakes

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 15th, 2009 at 9:37 am and is filed under Cupcakes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.