We’ve been suffering through a heat wave in Southern California, which has disrupted what has otherwise been a mild summer. We don’t have air conditioning, but we live close enough to the beach to benefit from the coastal breezes so our house cools off quite nicely in the evenings, without the exorbitant electric bills.  However, we do have a couple of weeks each summer when we wish we had air conditioning to cool us off and this has been one of those weeks.

Today, was another hot and humid day, so the last thing I wanted to do was turn on the oven to heat the house even more, but it was for such a worthy cause. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and OXO will once again donate $100,000  in support of Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. I’ve been a fan of OXO for awhile now and I was happy to be selected to join them in their campaign to Bake a Difference with OXO.

As a part of their $100,000 pledge, OXO will donate 25 cents in support of pediatric cancer research for every specially marked baking tool sold. In addition, OXO invited a group of bloggers, including me, to get involved. For every one of us who share a brownie, cookie, or cupcake recipe in September, they will donate $100. So, you  see, I had to turn on the oven today and bake these Vanilla Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Peach Filling and Simple Vanilla Buttercream Frosting, even on such a hot day, because it was for such a worthy cause!

Note: OXO provided me with a set of cupcake tools and will donate $100 to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer for this post as well as posts by other bloggers who were invited to join the OXO Bake A Difference campaign. Receiving compensation in the form of a “free” product does NOT affect my opinions in any way. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Peach Filling and a Simple Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Yields 1 dozen cupcakes

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
3/4 cup cake flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
12 tablespoons Cream Cheese Peach Filling (recipe below)
1 batch Simple Vanilla Buttercream Frosting (recipe below)
sprinkles, for garnish

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.

In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated after each addition. Add vanilla bean paste or extract and mix well.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients:  flours, baking powder, and salt.

Turn mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients and buttermilk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Evenly distribute the batter in the prepared muffin cups and bake for about 18-20 minutes until a cake tester inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Cool completely. Make a hole in the center of each cupcake, using an OXO cucpcake corer, melon baller, or a spoon. Fill each cupcake with about 1 tablespoon of Cream Cheese Peach Filling.  Frost with Simple Vanilla Buttercream Frosting and add sprinkles.

Cream Cheese Peach Filling

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
1/2 cup peaches, pitted and chopped

Method:
In a small bowl, beat the cream with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the sugar, cream cheese, and vanilla bean paste until smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed. Fold in the whipped cream and the chopped peaches.

Simple Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
2 to 3 cups powdered sugar, free from visible lumps
2 to 3 tablespoons milk, or more to make smooth and spreadable consistency

Method:
In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter, salt, and vanilla, until light and fluffy. Reduce mixer speed to low and add powdered sugar gradually, beating continuously. Add 2 tablespoons milk, beating until smooth. Add more milk, if needed, to reach spreadable consistency.

Makes about 2 1/3 cups of frosting, enough 1 dozen cupcakes.

Vanilla Cupcakes adapted from Baking A Moment. Cream Cheese Peach Filling adapted from Chocolate Moosey.

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