Peach Summer Cake

Peaches were on sale this week, so I had to make something with them.  I also was home visiting my family, and peaches just happen to my dad's favorite so it seemed only fitting to do a peach dessert for Memorial Day.

I saw recently posted on the Smitten Kitchen blog (can you tell I'm a huge fan of this blog site?) a strawberry summer cake.  I originally had that recipe in mind when I went to the store, but when I saw all the beautiful juicy ripe peaches on sale I decided they would work just fine.  I have to admit I have in the last year or so I'm getting much better at detouring from original recipes by adapting here and there. Now I know swapping out one fruit for another is pretty low on the kitchen adventure scale, but a person who never diverted even a little bit when it came to a new recipe this is pretty big. 

Ok I have to admit though I think my swap of fruit may have lead for it to be a bit laden with all the extra juice that peaches provide (oh well).  I blanched the peaches first to easily remove the skins, which may have been my fatal mistake there.  I believe that blanching the fruit may have resulted in bringing out all the juice.  Next time, I believe I will painstakingly peel them.  Because it was Memorial Day I had better things to do besides sit in the kitchen and peel peaches.

The cake batter itself turned out lovely and took all my self-restraint not to continually "taste-test" the batter.  I have no self-control when it comes to cake batter.  I did not measure the amount of peaches and just literally stuck them into the uncooked batter until I thought there was enough.  What I found in the end...it could have used more.  A whole lot more.  I ended saving the cup of leftover peaches and turned them into peach muffins, which I'll post later, (so at least I got another dessert out this!). So either measure first, or if you're an anti-measure person (as much as you can get away with while baking) then keep putting more peaches in.  And when you think you're done, put a few more in for good measure.  Trust me, you won't regret it.    Overall, delicious.  A perfect summer treat.

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen's Strawberry Summer Cake

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for pie plate
1 1/2 cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour (can swap 3/4 cup or 94 grams all-purpose flour with 3/4 cup or 75 grams of barley flour, see Note)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 cup (200 grams) plus 2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup (118 ml) milk
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
1 pound (450 grams) peaches, peeled and sliced
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 10-inch pie pan or 9-inch deep-dish pie pan. This cake would also work in a 9- or 10-inch springform or cake pan.
Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, beat butter and 1 cup sugar until pale and fluffy with an electric mixer, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg, milk and vanilla until just combined. Add dry mixture gradually, mixing until just smooth.
Pour into prepared pie plate. Arrange peaches on top of batter, as closely as possible in a single layer. (Feel free to overlap if needed. You won't be disappointed.)  Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over berries.
Bake cake for 10 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 325°F and bake cake until golden brown and a tester comes out free of wet batter, about 50 minutes to 60 minutes. Let cool in pan on a rack. Cut into wedges. Serve with lightly whipped cream.
Do ahead: Cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days, loosely covered.