Kate's Peach Cake

This is the kind of fruit cake you make when the peaches on the counter are starting to soften past slicing. Two cups of sliced peaches get tossed in flour before they go into the batter, which is the small step that makes the whole cake work. Dredged fruit stays suspended instead of sinking to the bottom in a soggy stripe.

It is an oil-based cake, not butter, so the crumb stays moist for days. The batter looks intimidatingly thick before the fruit goes in, and that is correct. The peaches release juice as they bake and pull the texture into perfect tender territory.

A full teaspoon of cinnamon carries the warm-spice background without overwhelming the peach flavor. Walnuts or pecans are optional, but they add a welcome crunch against the soft fruit.

Chef Tips

• Use ripe but still firm peaches. Mushy peaches release too much liquid and make the cake gummy. Frozen peaches work, but thaw and pat them dry first.
• Do not overmix once the flour is in. A few streaks of flour are fine, the fruit fold will finish the job.
• Test for doneness in the center, which is the slowest spot to set with this much fruit. The skewer should come out with damp crumbs, not wet batter.
• Cool completely before glazing, otherwise the powdered sugar glaze melts straight off.

Variations

• Swap half the peaches for sliced nectarines or pitted, halved cherries.
• Add the zest of one lemon to the batter to brighten the peach flavor.
• Stir ½ teaspoon of ground ginger into the dry mix for a peach-ginger version that pairs beautifully with vanilla ice cream.