Preheat the oven to 350F. Line cupcake pans with 18 paper liners. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks; set aside.

In another bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. In yet another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.

Add the flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture alternately with the champagne. Stir in the chopped peaches.

Fold ⅓ of the egg whites into the batter until incorporated. Then, fold in the remaining egg whites.

Spoon the batter into the prepared cups. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick tester inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

In a medium bowl, whisk together ¼ cup of the heavy cream and the cornstarch. Whisk in the whole egg and egg yolks. Set aside.

Combine the remaining heavy cream, sugar, and champagne in a saucepan; bring to a boil then remove from the heat. Pour ⅓ of the hot champagne mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly so the eggs do not cook. Return the remaining champagne/heavy cream mixture to a boil. Pour in the hot egg mixture in a stream, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla.

Let cool to room temperature. Cover the surface of the pastry cream with plastic wrap so it doesn’t form a skin. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the butter and confectioners’ sugar. Add milk or cream a little at a time until the mixture is light, fluffy, and of piping consistency. Add the peach flavor and beat again until incorporated. Add 1-2 drops each of the neon yellow and neon orange food color to the buttercream. Beat until well incorporated, scraping down the bowl when necessary. Add more of each color to intensify the hue, if desired. The end result should be a vivid orangey-peach color. I used about 4 drops of each color. Add the food color a little at a time so you don't overdo it.

Fit a disposable piping bag with a large French pastry tip. Squirt a little of the red food color in a condiment cup. Dip a kitchen-dedicated soft bristle brush into the red food color and paint a thick line of red food color inside the decorator tip and all the way up the length of the bag. Repeat this step directly across form the first painted line (you could use the piping bag seams for a guide, if your bag has two seams directly across from each other).

On a scrap of parchment or paper towel, squeeze a little of the frosting out of the bag until the red color starts to show. Set aside.

Core the cupcakes by cutting out a small divot in the centers with a paring knife; save the pieces. Transfer the pastry cream to a disposable piping bag and snip off ½ inch hole in the end. Fill each cupcake with about 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons of the pastry cream. (You can also spoon in the pastry cream.) Trim the cut-out cake pieces flat to create “lids” and place them onto the filled divots.

Pipe a swirl of frosting onto a cupcake and immediately sprinkle a pinch of the white nonpareils on top. Repeat this process with each cupcake until all of the cupcakes are frosted and sprinkled. Just before serving, add a fresh mint leaf to each cupcake.