Royal Wedding Peach Moscato Cupcakes

In honor of the Royal Wedding, I decided to try making some cupcakes from scratch based on a recipe recently posted by "Cupcake Kelly" on her "An American Cupcake in London" blog. Because Will and Kate will have a variation of fruit cake at their wedding reception, she decided to make a version of fruit cake that is probably a bit more tolerable -- Bubbly Peach Cupcakes. The cake is made with champagne and also includes fresh peach chunks that sink to the bottom of the cupcake when baked.

Naturally, I decided to do some tweaking to the recipe and substituted moscato for champagne. I've never been that fond of champagne (and I've tried some really disgusting champagne cakes when I was cake-testing), so I decided to use moscato, a sweet dessert wine. I purchased a bottle of Angioletta Moscato from Hy-Vee. When I got home, I realized I had accidently purchased regular moscato instead of moscato d'Asti. I decided to still use my selection, but the sparkling qualities of d'Asti may have produced a slightly different taste.

Peach Moscato Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups self raising flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup (1 stick/115g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla (peach flavoring also optional)

1/2 cup moscato or moscato d'Asti

1 cup diced peaches

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and line muffin tray with paper liners. In a small bowl whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.

2. With an electric mixer on high speed mix cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time beating until combined. Add in the vanilla and peach flavoring (if using).

3. Add the flour mixture in two batches alternating with the moscato until all incorporated. Fold in the chopped peaches.

4. Fill each cup three quarters full and bake for 25 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Makes 16 cupcakes

For frosting, I used my grandmother's signature vanilla frosting recipe -- it's a family secret! Visit Kelly's blog to see her frosting recipe that included champagne.

Viva la Vino!

A May Term trip to Sicily in 2009 has made me particularly affectionate of wine. Having a glass or two of fine Italian wine every day with each meal might have caused this. While traveling the island, I purchased a bottle of wine (or two!) at each major city in the hopes of finding that perfect bottle to take home with me. In Syracuse, our first stop on the island, I purchased a bottle of Corvo Glicine Bianco.

After travelling the island for two weeks and visiting Milan, I decided to purchase another bottle of Glicine, which had quickly become my favorite. I'm not a big fan of red wines, since it is difficult to find one that isn't too dry, so I gravitated toward the white wines and dessert wines. In the sea-side city of Sciacca, I purchased a bottle of Florio Grecale Moscato -- another favorite. This moscato is very different from most moscatos purchased in the states. It is more orange in color than the typical white or yellow and is much sweeter than its American counterpart.

All together, my suitcase was laden with five bottles of Sicilian wine by the time I got back home (and a few bottles of Sicilian olive oil). Because the Corvo Glicine Bianco was my absolute favorite, I could not bring myself to drink it once I was back in the states. So, over two years later, it was still sitting on my kitchen shelf. I vowed not to open it until I got engaged and truly had a reason to celebrate. Soon after our engagement, Alex and I enjoyed my last bottle of Sicilian wine. It is best served while it is still young, but the extra two years didn't hurt at all! Delicious!

So, instead of importing my favorite Italian wines, I will serve my wedding guests a selection of wines made right here in Iowa! I have recently become obsessed with Stone Cliff Winery in Dubuque.

Stone Cliff offers many traditional varieties, such as cabernet savignon, chardonnay, riesling and white zinfadel. Instead of these more obvious choices, my guests will be tasting more exciting flavors.

The couple's wine of choice: Purple Cow
(to coincide with our wedding color and
complement the Heartland Acres venue)
"Welch's with a kick"
Concord grape flavors served chillled as a dessert wine.

The toasting wine: American Moscato
A pale gold wine, sweet but light with amazing aromas of
citrus, pear and apricot.

Sweet Cherry Wine
"Cherry pie in a bottle"
Made from Door County cherries.

Late Harvest Sweet Apple
Made with apples from the local Czipars orchard in Dubuque, IA.
This sweet apple wine has a smooth finish with a light hint of spice.
Enjoy this wine hot with a cinnamon stick or cold for sipping.