Peach season is almost over, unfortunately, and I have been loving all the sweet juicy ones we are getting from either the farmer's market or in our weekly Washington's Green Grocer delivery. I am sadly allergic to raw peaches, but if I cook them a little bit, they give me no problems (same with plums, cherries, nectarines). Ordinarily, I chop up a peach or two and put them in a microwave-safe bowl, nuke for 2 minutes, and let them cool before shoveling them in. This time, I had several more very ripe peaches than I could comfortably eat in one day. Mr Minx is not a fan of crisps or cobblers, so I decided to make a cake.
Half my life ago, I worked at Gordon's Booksellers at the Rotunda with a bunch of terrific people, many of whom are still among my closest and dearest friends. One year, we had a staff Christmas party at my house. Everyone who worked at the store was invited; we also invited one of our favorite customers. Jay worked next door at Maryland Casualty, but he dropped into the bookstore every morning to buy a newspaper and shoot the shit. He was fun and we figured he was as much a part of the Gordon's experience as any of the rest of us.
The party was pot luck, and Jay brought a loaf cake studded with peaches. Because the peaches had been canned in syrup, each piece was in a juicy little pocket of cake. I loved the texture variation, and asked him for the recipe. He complied, I put it away for safe keeping, and never used it. So this cake, while not the same as Jay's, was made with him in mind.
Spiced Peach Cake
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 pound peaches, peeled and sliced
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a standard bundt cake pan.
Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and spices in a bowl. Set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla. Add the flour mixture, beating only until combined. Stir in the walnuts by hand.
Put about a third of the batter in the bottom of the pan. Cover with a layer of the peaches. Repeat batter and peach layers, ending with batter.
Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Because of the peaches, there may be pockets of moisture here and there, so try the toothpick in several areas. Don't overbake!
Posted on Minxeats.com.
