In my humble opinion, cardamom is under-appreciated in western cooking. A pinch of ground cardamom lends a exotic sweetness to almost any dish you choose. It’s true that too much can become overwhelming and borderline medicinal, but with a light hand you can make magic with a well-placed sprinkle.
Peaches and cardamom are one of my all time favorite flavor combinations. Cooking with peaches (or nectarines for that matter) and not sprinkling in a dash of this aromatic spice is leaving a huge flavor opportunity on the table.
I shared this coffee cake at potluck and it was a huge hit, especially among the young attendees. Such a huge hit, in fact, that no one in our family got to have a slice. My oldest was visibly distressed to find out he had to leave the party cake-less. Even though I didn’t think we needed an entire cake in our house I promised to bake a second one the next day. It was not the instant gratification he was looking for but we all enjoyed the extra treat.
The density of this peach cake lands it somewhere between a coffee cake and a dessert cake. As far as I’m concerned that means you may feel free to enjoy your slice at any time during the day. If you have leftovers, the cake will keep for a few days. I haven’t tested freezing and thawing a portion but, I imagine it would do very nicely if you chose to wrap half for a future coffee cake craving.
But, remember, peach coffee cake is a lovely treat to share with friends, just be sure to keep a piece for yourself.
Peach Coffee Cake with Cardamom
A perfect blend of late summer peaches and warm autumn spices.
Prep time: 20 mins, Cook time: 40 mins, Yield: 1 (9 inch) cake
Ingredients
2 medium fresh peaches – approximately 1/2 lb
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
3/4 cup cane sugar (may substitute 1/2 cup sugar + 1/4 cup brown sugar)
1 large egg
1/2 cup low fat milk
Topping: 1 tablespoon cane sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Prep: Rinse, dry and slice the peaches into 1/2 inch wedges. Leave the skin on the peaches. You’ll need about 16-20 slices for this recipe. Set the slices aside.
Prepare a 9 inch cake pan by placing a circle of parchment in the bottom and lightly greasing the sides of the pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Sift together the flour, baking powder, cardamom, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
Use an electric mixer to whip the butter and sugar until they are light and fluffy. Should take about 2-3 minutes on medium speed. Add the egg and continue whipping for another 1-2 minutes. You want the batter to fluff up and turn a smooth buttery yellow.
Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the milk. Begin with 1/3 of flour mixture and mix just enough to combine then add 1/2 of the milk again mixing just enough to combine. Continue adding the flour, milk, flour until the batter is an even texture and the dry ingredients are fulling incorporated. The batter will be quite thick.
Spoon the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top so it is roughly even, it can be a little lumpy bumpy.
Poke the peach slices, skin side up, part way into the batter. Leave about 1/2 an inch of peach standing above the top of the batter. Finish by sprinkling the mixture of sugar and cinnamon over the top of the cake.
Bake the cake for 40-50 minutes. Check for doneness after 40 minutes by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out sticky continue baking for 5 to 10 additional minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake to sit in the pan for 10 minutes before removing from the pan and transferring to a cooling rack. Allow the cake to cool completely before serving – several hours if possible.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1/10. Calories: 221. Fat: 8g. Carbohydrates: 35g. Sugar: 20g. Sodium: 74mg. Fiber: 1g. Protein: 3g. Weight Watchers Points Plus: 6.
Adapted from Peach Cake via Pastry Studio.
Rose McAvoy blogs at Light for Life at www.heraldnet.com/lightforlife and at halfhersize.com. Email rose@halfhersize.com or find her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/halfhersize.
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