Peach Pound Cake

My annual order of gorgeous Georgia peaches from The Peach Truck arrived a couple of weeks ago. They were in peak, picture-perfect condition so I could start enjoying them immediately. Besides eating them out-of-hand (over the sink!), and using them in a lovely peach-tomato salad, of course I wanted to make a dessert and this recipe from the NY Times cooking site sounded terrific. Not only does it have peaches within the cake, it also has peaches in the glaze! This cake is so moist, and bursting with buttery-juicy-peachy flavor. My pictures do not do justice to this wonderful cake. I took a photo of the cake from the side so you can see the height you get with this cake.

Peach purée

Pre-glaze

Post-glaze

When looking at the recipe, it seems like there are quite a few steps, but it’s a really easy cake to put together. It keeps well-wrapped on the counter for 3 days, or a bit longer in the fridge (let it come to room temp before serving). You could serve it with fresh whipped cream, but it really doesn’t need anything else. If you have ripe peaches on your counter, make this cake!

Look at those big peach chunks!

Peach Pound Cake (NY Times)

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 (see note)

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

Directions:

Step 1: heat oven to 325°F. Lightly butter and flour a 9”x5” loaf pan and set aside.

Step 2: dice 1 peach into 1/3” pieces. Pat the pieces dry with a paper towel and set aside.

Step 3: add the remaining 2 peaches and the lemon juice to a food processor or blender, and blend on high until completely puréed. Measure out 1 leveled cup of the purée and transfer it to a mixing bowl along with the melted butter, eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla. Whisk to combine and set aside.

Step 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.

Step 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 in the center comes out clean, about 75-80 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Step 6: stir the icing a final time and spread it 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.

Note: 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 specs of skin.