Description
Ina Garten’s fresh peach cake delivers summer sweetness with ripe, juicy peaches nestled in a tender, buttery crumb. Home bakers will savor each delectable slice of this classic dessert that celebrates seasonal produce.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 peaches (large, ripe, peeled, pitted, and sliced)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs (extra-large, at room temperature)
- 1 cup sour cream (at room temperature)
- ¼ lb (1 stick) unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 1 ½ cups sugar (divided)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup pecans (chopped)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare: Warm the oven to 180°C / 350°F and thoroughly grease a 9-inch square baking pan to ensure effortless cake release.
- Cream Butter Mixture: Whip butter and sugar using an electric mixer until the blend becomes light, fluffy, and pale, creating a smooth foundation for the cake.
- Incorporate Wet Ingredients: Gently fold eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract into the butter mixture, maintaining a silky, uniform consistency without overmixing.
- Combine Dry Components: Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together, creating a fine, well-integrated dry ingredient blend that ensures even cake texture.
- Assemble Cake Base: Delicately fold dry ingredients into wet mixture, minimizing stirring to preserve the batter’s delicate structure and prevent toughness.
- Craft Cinnamon-Sugar Topping: Mix remaining sugar with ground cinnamon to create a fragrant, sweet layer that will enhance the cake’s overall flavor profile.
- Layer and Sprinkle: Spread half the batter in the pan, arrange peach slices, and generously dust with two-thirds of the cinnamon-sugar mixture, creating a dynamic flavor landscape.
- Final Assembly: Complete the cake by adding remaining batter, topping with additional peach slices, and sprinkling the final cinnamon-sugar and chopped pecans for a textural contrast.
- Bake and Test: Place in the preheated oven for 45-55 minutes, checking doneness with a toothpick that should emerge clean when the cake is perfectly baked.
- Rest and Serve: Allow the cake to cool for 15-20 minutes, enabling flavor development and structural stability before presenting either warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Prevent Overmixing: Stir batter gently to maintain a light, tender texture and avoid tough, dense cake.
- Peach Selection Matters: Choose ripe, fragrant peaches at peak summer season for maximum flavor and sweetness.
- Precise Baking Time: Monitor cake closely during last 10 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning and ensure perfect moisture.
- Topping Distribution Technique: Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar evenly for consistent flavor and beautiful caramelized surface.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Dessert, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 360
- Sugar: 30 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg