Peach Cake Recipe: moist, flavorful slices of summer
Most cooks have a go-to recipe, one that never fails, one that they can make in their sleep, and one that garners rousing boo-yahs from the dinner guests (or at least happy sighs and polite acknowledgements). For me, Teddie’s Apple Cake is a kudo-worthy dessert that never fails to impress on all levels.
Speaking of apples…I, like Sir Issac Newton had an epiphany brought on by falling fruit. Why not adapt the apple cake to another fruit, say a summer version featuring stone fruit. And so the peach cake was born, a dense, flavorful crumb punctuated with crunchy almonds that captures the season and the diner’s need to ask for a second slice.
Whipped farm-fresh eggs, oil and sugar form a sunny golden slurry, step one in an easy cake recipe.
I discovered the recipe Teddie’s Apple Cake in The New York Times years ago and have been making it ever since. If you’re not good at making cakes, give this one a try; it may mark your return to the land of frosting and batter, though this is truly one cake that stands on its own and does fine without a blanket of icing.
Summer Peach Cake Recipe
Adapted from Jean Hewitt’s, Teddie’s Apple Cake, The New York Times
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 cups chopped peaches (I don’t peel them.)
- 1 cup slivered toasted almonds
- 1 cup golden raisins (or chopped dried apricots)
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Butter and flour a 9-inch tube (angel food cake) pan
- Beat the oil and sugar together in a mixer for 5 minutes
- Add farm-fresh eggs
- Beat until the mixture is creamy, say 2-3 minutes
- Dry ingredients: Sift together 3 cups of flour, the salt, cinnamon and baking soda.
- Stir into the batter, mix on low.
- Add the Almond extract, vanilla, peaches and raisins.
- Mix on low briefly (don’t want to mash the peaches)
- Transfer stiff batter to tube pan.
- Bake for 1 – 1.5 hour depending on moisture of peaches (updated 9/21)
- Check with satay stick or toothpick to see if done, make it reaches the middle of the cake pan.
- When stick is clean of batter, remove from oven.
- Cool in the pan, run knife around outside of tube of pan.
- Once cool turn over and plate.
- Invite friends to enjoy with you, or you may likely eat the whole thing.
Brilliant idea to substitute peaches for the apples Tom. It looks amazing! I’ll be putting this on our list for “sweet treat of the week”.
Your cake wins, Tom 😉
I’m waiting for step #14 Tom.
Good Point, other Tom, I will have to remedy this.
Hi Tom: Have you ever tried this recipe using honey instead of sugar. Also, have you ever used part or all whole-wheat flour? It looks wonderful…Patty
Patty I haven’t used honey or whole wheat flour in this recipe. I may have to try it. I’d use one cup of honey to replace the 2 cups of sugar.
mmmmmmmmm….
I haven’t met a cake I didn’t like. I’m going to have to make this one day… especially since Peaches are IN SEASON now! yumyum! ♥
I like # 14 best! Tamara
From your island to mine. Thanks for the recipe! It looked so good I’ve made it tonight to take to a family event on Saltspring. I’m betting it will be a hit!
Oh my!
I told my beloved that I was sick to death of German Chocolate birthday cakes (he and both our sons always want one for their late summer b-days…. they are ok but c’mon, three in three months?). My Gravensteins (no idea how to spell that) were ripe but there wasn’t enough for pie. My cake is a little bit different (orange peel instead of raisins, walnuts for almonds and a little bit of coffee to wet it down…… but your idea of peaches? Way kewl! I can hardly wait to make a trip to Peshasten (E of Leavenworth) for fruit. Thank you Mr T
Debs of the Toy Box Suburban Farm in Everett
Debs, German Chocolate Cake was the preferred birthday of my youth as well. You are a good Mom. 😉 Glad to see the peach cake recipe is mixing things up a bit. It is peach season and let’s celebrate it properly. Thanks for the morning chuckle Debs, and Happy Birthday to the men in your life.
Mike, thanks for the kudos, and here’s to your beautiful Island. Salt Spring is something special, I hope for a return visit one day. You all have one of my favorite farmers markets in the Northwest. Take care.
The Saltspring Saturday Market is a must-do on the Island. The Bread Lady and the two cheesemakers are my favourites. Island-made gelato is right across the street from the market (m-m-m, salted caramel…). There are some awesome restaurants a stroll away and we are now up to 3 decent wineries. Certainly worth a return visit!
Tom, It seems delicious. I have some organic peach I’ll make it .
Tomorrow we are going trekking with the group of friends. It goes very well at the tea break after long walking.
Hi Sare…Hiking, friends and a tea break with peach cake, um um sounds like you have lovely day planned on the other side of the world. Best wishes.
Tom,
I just made this cake and it was really wonderful!
I’ve been getting a CSA organic farm share of veggies and fruits and looking for ways to capture their goodness.
Thanks so much for sharing!
[…] I found a great recipe for peach cake from Tom at Tall Clover Farm and he gave me permission to share it with […]
Tom,
I tried this recipe in September and it was wonderful. Even better, I made enough to freeze and just had a piece tonight. Yum! Thank you!!
Great to hear from you Isabella. So glad you liked the cake!
Hi Tom
I just had to share , I saw the strangest cultivar of peaches in our stores here in Cape Town this weekend. It is called a Donut peach
Give it a google it is the strangest flattest looking peach , I will have to try it and let you know.
Thanks for all the great recipes. 🙂
Heather, oooh, sunny, beautiful Capetown, I’m a bit envious as it’s a cold frosty winter day here. I love donut peaches. The odd looking little guys pack a wallop of flavor, though subtle as most are white peaches. Thanks for the visit and sharing your discovery. Let me know what you think. Cheers!
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Tom, I just picked some perfect wild blackberries, do you think I could add them to this cake or would it make it too mushy with all the extra moisture? I am a HUGE fan of your peach Melba pie and make it a few times a week during peach season. You’re my go-to guy for pies!
Thanks so much Sarah, I need to add a few new pie favorites to the blog. Now as for Blackberries for this cake, they work well. It’s a dense oil based cake so it can take it. The berries feature prominently when cutting a slice…delicious!