Guest Post: Spiced Peach Cake by Becca Bakes

You would think that after sending off a 172 page document to my committee that all I’d have to do for the week leading up to my defense is study. But oh wait there’s the powerpoint presentation to prepare! Thankfully I give presentations on my research at least once a year so I have old slides to pull from, but it’s still yet another thing to do before I can take a moment to relax. Honestly there will be no relaxing until after 4pm on Monday, September 23rd.

Guest posting today is Becca from Becca Bakes. She wins pb-loving hearts with her chocolate peanut butter pretzel fudge, inspires others to be daring bakers with a tutorial on how to make a checkerboard cake, and gets creative by making pop tarts with a ravioli press. She even has her own line of cookie mixes! But the thing I enjoy most is her honesty. Recently she posted a recipe for a shoofly pie – not because it’s a recipe she thinks you should make, but in fact warns you not to make it unless you are a huge lover of molasses. Maybe one day I’ll be brave enough to post a recipe disappointment of my own.

One year ago: Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Sage Browned Butter Sauce

Two years ago: Tomato-Basil Eggs Alfredo in Bread Baskets

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Hello! My name is Becca and I will be stepping in for today’s blog entry so Erin can maintain sanity and produce an awesome dissertation. You go girl! I’m going to honor your hard work with the only way I know how – cake.

I recently moved to New England from Florida where they have these weird things called “seasons”. No longer is the weather hot, kind of hot, or really freaking hot. Here in Boston you can actually smell the air changing from summer to fall. The weather is in transition and you find yourself taking on and off a light jacket all day because you can’t quite decide. I wanted this cake to reflect this period of the year and I think it does a very good job. The peach is an obvious homage to summertime where the juicy stone fruits can be found in everything from ice cream to pie. The cake itself is a subtle nod at fall with a strong flavor of cardamom, followed by compliments of nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon. These spices are often found in pumpkin pie, apple cider, and everything pretty much every fall food you’ve ever loved. This best-of-both-worlds cake is perfect for when you’re not quite sure if you’re ready to let go of summer or if you’re excited for fall.

Spiced Peach Cake

Makes 1 9” Cake
Adapted from: Our Lady of Second Helpings (http://ourladyofsecondhelpings.com/2013/09/10/cardamom-peach-cake/)

Ingredients

2 medium fresh peaches – approximately 1/2 lb

1 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

6 tablespoons butter, room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1/2 cup low fat milk

Topping: 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

1.  Rinse, dry and slice the peaches into 1/2 inch wedges. Leave the skin on the peaches. You’ll need about 16-20 slices for this recipe. Set the slices aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9” spring-form pan by placing a circle of parchment in the bottom and lightly greasing the sides of the pan.

3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Set aside.

4. Use an electric mixer to whip the butter and sugar until they are light and fluffy.

5. Add the egg and continue whipping for another 1-2 minutes

6. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk starting with the flour mixture stirring until just combined each time. When the batter is fully incorporated it will be thick.

7. Spoon the batter into the prepared spring-form pan and smooth the top so it is roughly even

8. Poke the peach slices, skin side up, about half-way  into the batter.

9. Finish by sprinkling the mixture of turbinado sugar and cinnamon over the top of the cake.

10. Bake the cake for 45-50minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

11. Let the cake to sit in the pan for 20 minutes before releasing the spring and transferring to a cooling rack. Allow the cake to cool completely before serving – several hours if possible. Enjoy!