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| 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:
- Heat oven to 325°F. Lightly butter and flour a 9x5” loaf pan and set aside.
- Dice 1 peach into 1/3” pieces. Pat the pieces dry with a paper towel and set aside.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
