So much for having a plan…

Id like to say this recipe went exactly as planned. But then I would be a liar, liar pants on fire. As soon as I saw Cupcake Bakeshop and Vanilla Garlic post their re-invention Cupcake Round-up, I had envisioned this tart fuzzy navel cupcake. I knew what I wanted to do straight away. The execution is where it fell apart. The cake is a basic yellow cake recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens. Peach Schnapps can replace the milk in the recipe, right? I wasnt so sure. I didnt want the texture to be funky. I decided to contact the infamous Peabody of Culinary Concoctions and ask her about the proper amount of alcohol. She so kindly gave me the advice I needed. And the cake is perfect. It has this subtle peach flavor, with tiny chunks of peach from the peach yogurt. YUMMY!

Next, I thought orange curd would go nicely in the middle. That sounds good doesnt it? I didnt bother to look up an orange curd recipe. Since I had recently made lime curd for Cupcake Hero, I swapped out lime juice for orange juice in the recipe. Well, as usual, Im a total doofus. It did not set. It never thickened. Even after a lengthy rest in the fridge. So, I looked up an orange curd recipe. Round 2! Did this one set? No, no it didnt. It was thicker than the first attempt, but not thick enough to park in a cupcake.

I thought I should sit down and think this out. I was down to 1 egg after the orange curd fiasco of 2007. Scratch the filling. I watched an episode of Yo Gabba Gabba with Colb and went back to the kitchen. Glaze…glaze is good… ok glaze.  The cupcakes are still warm, better hurry! I took orange juice, a little schnapps and powdered sugar and wisked it together. Put a spoonful over each cupcake. Okay, good enough.

Now the big finish, the buttercream. I wanted both schnapps and orange juice in the frosting. I use equal amounts of both. However, at the last minute I waffled on the flavor and added more of both. The buttercream had been the perfect consistency, but being who I am, I couldnt leave well enough alone. And the consistency suffered. So in the recipe, I omitted my last minute tweak. Which would have left my buttercream perfect.

Overall, I am happy with the outcome. Tangy orange flavor? CHECK! Sweet Peachiness? CHECK! Hint of alcohol? CHECK CHECK! I love fuzzy navels. These are right up my alley. Next time, I will add a touch of orange extract to the frosting instead of all the orange juice. That way I get the flavor without all the liquid I was adding. And thats my re-invention story for today. Mountain Dew and Fuzzy Navels down. I can only wonder what will be next.

Fuzzy Navel Cupcakes

Peach Schnapp-Me Cupcakes  (Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, 12th ed. 2002)

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

3 eggs

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup peach yogurt

1/4 cup peach schnapps

Preheat oven to 375.

Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temp for about 30 min. Meanwhile, prepare muffin tin with liners, or grease with butter. In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. Measure out milk, yogurt and schanpps, stir together in a large cup.

In a large mixing bowl beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Approx 3 min. Add eggs one at a time, beat after eat addition and scrape sides of bowl between additions. Alternately add flour and milk mixture to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat on low speed after every addition until just combined. Spoon into prepared cupcake liners, or greased tin.

Bake in 375 oven for 14-16 minutes, or until a wooden tester comes out clean. I baked mine 14 min.  Cool on wire rack 10 minutes before transferring to wire rack to  cool completely.

Orange Glaze

1/4 cup orange juice

2 TB peach schnapps

1 cup powdered sugar

Combine ingredients in a small bowl and wisk until smooth. Spoon onto tops of cupcakes while they are still warm, so they absorb the glaze.  I used about 2 teaspoons per cupcake.

Fuzzy Navel Buttercream

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar (more or less to taste and desired consistency)

3 TB orange juice

2 TB Peach Schnapps

Beat butter in standing mixer until smooth. Add 2 cups of sugar. Beat until smooth again. Add orange juice and Schnapps. Mix until combined and add remaining sugar until desired sweetness and consistency.