Fresh Peach Cake
Summer’s first peaches are meant to be eaten out of hand, in all their juice-dripping fragrant glory. But once you’ve eaten your first basketful, maybe highlight them in a different way, like in this cake. Heady with cardamom, moist and earthy, it’s made with a bit of cornmeal for texture. Choose firm-ripe peaches, they’ll be easiest to slice, and leave the skins on—they become tender during baking. Fine, stone-ground cornmeal will have the best flavor and texture. Avoid medium-grind cornmeal as it will make the cake a little gritty. Cardamom loses its pungency quickly, so you may want to purchase fresh to make this cake shine.
Ingredients
- 1⅓ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into cups and leveled off
- ⅓ cup fine yellow cornmeal
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing the pan
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups sliced firm-ripe unpeeled peaches, about
- ½- inch-thick wedges
Topping:
- 2 tablespoons organic or raw sugar mixed with ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan, about 2 inches deep (or use a springform pan). Line the pan with a round of parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom, and salt. Set aside.
- With an electric mixer at medium speed, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, scraping the sides once or twice. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla.
- With mixer at low speed, stir in the flour mixture in two additions. Finish mixing by hand, then scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Arrange the peaches on top in a concentric circle, placing the remaining peaches in the center. Sprinkle with the topping.
- Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until firm, puffed, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool about ½ hour on a wire rack, then turn out of the pan and peel off the paper round. Turn peach-side up onto a cake plate and serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Photograph by Mark Loader