Peaches and Cream Cake

This is my version of a German-style peach kuchen. My recipe is written on a three-by-five inch recipe card in a penmanship style I abandoned decades ago. All to say, I no longer recall the origin of this particular recipe to give it proper acknowledgement. It’s likely from a magazine or local newspaper, but could just as easily have been a cake made by a friend and I liked it so much I got the recipe.

Whilst we are into September, it’s still officially “summer” for a couple more weeks. The farmers at the market say they will likely be harvesting late-crop peach varieties until the first week of October so there’s still time to give this a try.

If it appeals, later you can easily swap out the peaches for another fruit. Figs, plums, even apples and pears if this recipe moves you into autumnal fruits.

This version yields a soft, tender cake with a soft topping bursting with fruit flavor. There’s a two-stage baking process, first the cake layer then you take it out briefly to add the cream and fruit layer. The second bake time is only 15 minutes, so if you substitute a denser fruit, apples or pears, you may want to give them a brief sauté in a couple tablespoons of butter, the 1/ 4 – 1/ 3 cup sugar, and warming spices (cinnamon, ginger, or nutmeg), then letting them cool slightly before arranging them on the cake.

Peaches and Cream Cake

Makes one 9-inch square cake

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Ingredients

  

For the cake

• 1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 extra-large egg at room temperature and slightly beaten
• 1/2 cup whole milk room temperature
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly

For the topping

• 1 extra-large egg at room temperature and slightly beaten
• 1 cup sour cream room temperature
• 1/4 - 1/3 cup granulated sugar to taste and the sweetness of the fruit
• medium peaches ripe but still firm, pit removed, sliced into 1/2-inch wide wedges
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon ground. Substitute powdered ginger.

Instructions

 

• Generously butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch square baking pan, or line with parchment paper if you plan to lift the entire cake out of the pan for serving presentation. I use two sheets of parchment paper, placed crosswise in the pan with plenty hanging over the top to easily lift out the cake.
• Place an oven rack in the center position and preheat the oven to 350° F.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, 1/ 4 cup granulated sugar, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl combine the first beaten egg, milk, and melted butter. (I use the one-cup liquid measuring cup for this. Measure the milk, add the beaten egg and melted butter, then stir.)
• Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture and mix until just combined with no streaks of flour showing. But don’t over mix. The batter will be thick.
• Spread this batter evenly into the prepared 9-inch pan and bake for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile prepare the topping by adding the remaining beaten egg, 1/ 4 – 1/ 3 cup of granulated sugar, and sour cream together in a small bowl.  Mix well.  Slice the peaches and set aside.
• After the initial 15 minutes, of baking remove the partially baked cake from the oven and set on a heatproof surface or hot pad. Spread the sour cream mixture evenly over the cake then arrange the peaches in a single layer, decorative pattern. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
• Return to the 350° F oven and continue baking for another 15minutes. Cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Do not over bake.
• Serve warm or chilled.

Notes

Store any leftover cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. The cake will absorb the sour cream topping and become more moist over time. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, think tres leches cake!