Description
Ina Garten’s fresh peach cake invites summer sweetness onto your plate with ripe, juicy peaches nestled in a tender, buttery crumb. Warm spices and golden edges promise a delightful dessert you’ll savor slice by slice.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 3 large, ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
Supporting Ingredients:
- ¼ pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup chopped pecans
Spices and Leavening Agents:
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Prepare the baking environment by warming the oven to 180°C / 350°F and thoroughly coating a 9-inch (23 cm) square baking pan with butter or cooking spray.
- Using an electric mixer, whip the butter and 200 grams / of sugar together until the mixture becomes airy and pale, approximately 3-4 minutes on medium-high speed.
- Incorporate eggs individually into the butter mixture, then gently fold in the sour cream and vanilla extract, ensuring a smooth and uniform consistency.
- In a separate mixing bowl, carefully sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, creating a light and well-integrated dry ingredient blend.
- Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, stirring minimally to prevent overmixing and maintain the batter’s delicate texture.
- Create the aromatic cinnamon-sugar topping by thoroughly combining the remaining 100 grams / ½ cup sugar with ground cinnamon in a small dish.
- Distribute half the batter evenly across the prepared pan, layer with half the sliced peaches, and generously sprinkle two-thirds of the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
- Complete the cake assembly by adding the remaining batter, arranging the final peach slices, and dusting with the remaining cinnamon-sugar and chopped pecans.
- Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and bake for 45-55 minutes, checking doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center – it should emerge clean when the cake is fully baked.
- Allow the cake to rest and cool for 15-20 minutes, which helps it set and enhances the flavor profile before serving either warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Pick perfectly ripe, fragrant peaches that yield slightly when gently pressed for maximum sweetness and juicy cake texture.
- Allow butter, eggs, and sour cream to sit at room temperature for smoother blending and more consistent batter quality.
- Gently fold dry ingredients until just combined, stopping mixing immediately to preserve the cake’s delicate, tender crumb.
- Arrange peach slices in uniform, overlapping pattern to guarantee even distribution of fruit and consistent baking throughout the cake.
- Check cake doneness by inserting a clean toothpick into the center; a few moist crumbs are okay, but no wet batter should remain.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Dessert, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 513
- Sugar: 44 g
- Sodium: 352 mg
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated Fat: 11 g
- Carbohydrates: 70 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Cholesterol: 100 mg