Georgia Peach Poundcake

Summer-on-a-Plate

Greetings, dear CT readers!

I hope your summer is swell so far! 

It’s that time of year again where I start to obsess over the best of the season - Georgia peaches, Jersey corn and tomatoes. In my book, there’s nothing better, especially when paired with fresh mozzarella, homegrown basil, and all washed down with a lovely Chenin Blanc. For me, it’s the perfect summer lunch or dinner. There’s really no recipe needed for this - use the best produce you can find and create your own delicious summer-on-a-plate.

Peach Poundcake

But this post is all about poundcake, specifically, peach poundcake. Each year when I get my shipment of peaches from The Peach Truck, I think long and hard about the how to get the most out of my 13 peaches. Of course, I love just eating them out of hand, standing over the kitchen sink, sweet peach juice running down my chin, or sliced over morning cereal, or in the dish above. But I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t also use them in a baked item. A few years ago, I made this fabulous Peach Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusel - wow, definitely a winner! 

This year, I wanted something a bit simpler and found this terrific poundcake from NY Times Cooking. What makes this even more special is the peach glaze drizzled over the top while the cake is still warm. The whole cake just works perfectly - it’s not too sweet, but has all the elements you’d expect from a poundcake - a moist, buttery texture perfect with a cup of coffee. It really doesn’t need it, but if you are so inclined, cut a thick slice, toast it, and spread a bit of salted butter over it - heaven! Or gild the lily, hit it with a dollop of whipped cream and serve for dessert after a summer dinner. Anyway you look at it, you cannot go wrong.

Hope the rest of your summer is happy!

Peach Poundcake

(NYT Cooking)

Ingredients:

1 C unsalted butter (2 sticks), melted and cooled to room temp, plus more for greasing the pan.

2-1/2 C AP flour, plus more for dusting the pan.

3 medium, ripe, red-hued peaches (about 1 pound), pitted 

1 TB fresh lemon juice

3 large eggs, plus 1 large egg yolk, beaten

1-1/2 t vanilla extract

1 C unsifted confectioners’ sugar, plus more as needed

1-1/2 C granulated sugar

2-1/2 t baking powder

3/4 t Kosher salt

Prep:

1. Heat oven to 325°F. Lightly butter and flour a 9x5” loaf pan and set aside.
2. Dice 1 peach into 1/3” pieces. Pat the pieces dry with a paper towel and set aside.
3. Add the remaining 2 peaches and the lemon juice to a food processor or blender, and blend on high until completed puréed. Measure out 1 leveled cup of the purée and transfer to a mixing bowl along with the melted butter, eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla. Whisk to combine and set aside.
4. Completely scrape down the sides of the food processor, and make the icing using the small amount of puréed peaches still remaining. Add 1 cup of the confectioners’ sugar to the remaining peach purée in the food processor and blend on high until combined. The icing should be thick but thin enough to drizzle. Add more confectioners’ sugar to thicken or a splash of water to thin, as needed. Cover and set aside until it’s time to ice the cake.
5. In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt, and whisk to combine. Pour the peach mixture into the flour mixture, and whisk well until the batter is thoroughly combined, then fold in the diced peaches. Transfer the batter to the loaf pan, spread evenly to the edges, and bake until crusty and golden brown on the top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 75-80 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
6. Stir the icing a final time and spread on top of the warm cake, allowing the extra icing to drip down the sides. Cool the cake to room temp. Slice and serve, or wrap tightly with plastic wrap and store on the counter for up to 3 days.

TIP: use the boldest-colored peaches you can find, as their skins will lend blush to the glaze. However, you can also peel the peaches, if you mind the specks of skin.

Recipe-in-a-Flash: Almond-crusted Baked Peaches

Delicious, quick recipe that those perfectly ripe peaches on your counter are begging for! From chef Virginia Willis, you can whip this up in no time and serve it warm from the oven right after dinner. She suggests resting the peaches on plain yogurt (which I did & it was fabulous), but certainly no one would balk if you used vanilla ice cream. Don’t skip the candied ginger or the sage, both really add to the overall flavor.

Unfortunately, they don't photograph very well but don't let that deter you - this little dessert is terrific!

BTW: there is a “secret” ingredient in this recipe — soy sauce! Not something usually found in desserts, but here’s why it works (from Virginia’s site):

“Soy sauce is highly flavored with umami. However, it’s not solely the unami. We have a couple of things happening here. First, peaches and almond are related and ingredients match when they share key aromas. So, we have the match-up of peaches and almonds. Also, according to The Flavor Matrix by James Briscione and Brooke Parkhurst, stone fruit is a surprise pairing with soy sauce! Both peaches and soy sauce share certain molecular compounds and when that happens it lines up heightened flavor and aroma. There’s an actual physical reason certain things taste good together.”

Enjoy!

Almond-crusted Baked Peaches (Virginia Willis)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 TB unsalted butter - room temp, or 2 TB mild oil, such as sunflower

1/4 C fine almond flour

2 TB coconut sugar or brown sugar

1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped, or 1 t pure vanilla extract

1/2 t low sodium tamari or soy sauce

2 freestone peaches

Skyr or yogurt for serving

Candied ginger, chopped, for serving

Honey for serving

Sage leaves for garnish

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Combine the fat, flour, sugar, extract, and soy sauce. Stir until smooth. 
2. Halve the peaches and discard the stones.
3. Divide the mixture between the peaches, about 2 TB per peach. Spread it to evenly coat the peach. Place in ovenproof casserole or skillet. Transfer to oven and bake until peach is tender to the point of a knife and the almond topping is golden brown, about 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, garnish the plates with the skyr or yogurt, candied ginger, and honey. Rest the peaches on top and garnish with sage.