Fresh Peach Cake (Barefoot Contessa)

Fresh Peach Cake

Hello! I know, it's been forever since my last blog post. I've been working, eating, catching Pokemon, listening to the Hamilton soundtrack, and hanging out with my friends and family. I have been baking, but most of the stuff are repeats or greatest hits (brownies, bundts, and cookies).

I'm now on Snapchat...so if you want to take a look at the mundane covered in stickers (isn't that what Snapchat is about?!), then I'm @foodlibrarian on Snapchat.

So, onto this cake! It's summer and that means hella stone fruit. However, I missed my weekly Farmer's Market run and had to pick up peaches at the supermarket. Oh, the sadness. These peaches were so boring and lacking in flavor. I thought about adding them to a smoothie...and baking with them. I figure adding some sugar and spice would liven these up!

As I type up this post, I realize I made this cake with nectarines and almonds in 2011, but totally forgot about that post. It's 2016 and 2011 was a long time ago! :)



On my Snapchat, I started at 4 am and took photos of the process. Making the batter, peeling peaches, layering the batter... and then I realize I'm using the wrong size pan. I had an 8" instead of 9" square. It was before 5 am and I had that wishful thinking moment of...let's bake it and just see what happens. Well, it was terrible because the center never cooked and the edges got dry. I was quite sad when I tossed that mess. (Remember, the difference between 8" and 9" square isn't just "an inch". 8x8=64" and 9x9=81" so that is 17" difference (yes, you should factor in the height, but for simplicity sake, I just want to say that using the right pan size is important!)).

But luckily (?), I had two more bad supermarket peaches and tried again after work! Here goes:


(Some of these photos are from the error 8" square pan, but you get the technique. Two layers of batter and peaches!)

Recipe:
Adapted from the Barefoot Contessa's Fresh Peach Cake



1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (200 grams) sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature (I used 2 large eggs from the fridge, put in warm water for 5 minutes before use)
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 large ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced (her recipe calls for 3 large peaches but I used 2)

Topping:
1/2 cups (100 grams) sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch-square baking pan. I created a parchment paper sling for easy removal.
2. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, combine the 1/2 cup sugar and the cinnamon. This is the topping. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of the KitchenAid with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy on medium speed (about 4 minutes). With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, then the sour cream and vanilla, and mix until the batter is smooth.
5. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix just until combined.
6. Spread half of the batter evenly in the pan. Top with half of the peaches, then sprinkle with two-thirds of the sugar mixture. Spread the remaining batter on top, arrange the remaining peaches on top and sprinkle with the remaining sugar mixture and the pecans.
7. The recipe says to bake the cake for 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. However, my cake took 60 minutes to bake (both times I made this cake, so don't be surprised if it take a little longer).