Fresh Peach Cake

The peaches have been nice this year and smell so enticing when I walk by them in the store that I couldn't help but run downstairs to get one and make this cake when I saw the recipe. Quick and easy, this cake uses pantry ingredients, one bowl and mixes together in minutes - what more could you ask?

Fresh Peach Cake

1 ½ tablespoons butter, divided use
1 large ripe peach
2 large eggs
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
½ cup milk
¾ cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 425º with rack in the center of the oven. Butter an 8-inch round glass or ceramic baking dish with ½ tablespoon butter. Cut peach in half and discard pit. Thinly slice peach and arrange half over bottom of dish.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and 1/3 cup sugar. Whisk in milk. Whisk in flour, baking powder and salt until smooth. Pour batter over peach slices. Arrange remaining slices on top like spokes of a wheel. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar over top and dot with remaining butter.

Bake until top is golden and a toothpick comes out clean, 23-25 minutes. Serve warm, cut into wedges. Serves 6.

 

 

 

 

Fresh Blackberry Cobbler Cake

Jungle Jim handed me a quart of beautiful blackberries as I was leaving work the other day. I made a delicious blackberry ginger sauce for grilled pork chops with half of the berries and this cake with the other half. I called it a cobbler cake because it is similar to both. The cake mixes quickly and would be delicious with any type of berry or nuts.

Fresh Blackberry Cobbler Cake

1 pint fresh blackberries
1/2 cup finely chopped toasted almonds
1 tablespoon + 1 cup sugar, divided
2 eggs
12 tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup flour
Whipped cream, optional for serving


Preheat oven to 350°. Grease an 8x8-inch baking dish.

Arrange berries in a single layer in prepared baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with almonds and 1 tablespoon sugar. Set aside.

Combine 1 cup sugar and eggs in a medium bowl and mix well. Add butter, vanilla and almond extract and stir until well combined. Add flour and stir until batter is smooth.

Spoon batter evenly over the berry mixture and bake 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in cake only comes out clean. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Serves 4-6.

 

 

Baked Bananas with Cinnamon Sugar

This super simple dessert comes together in minutes. Be sure to use bananas that are just ripe and do not have spots. Kids of all ages like bananas, cinnamon and chocolate. Drizzle with a little dark rum for adults!

Baked Bananas with Cinnamon Sugar

4 firm, ripe bananas
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375°. Line a small, rimmed baking sheet with foil.

Peel bananas and slice diagonally into 1-inch pieces. Arrange bananas in a single layer on baking sheet. Drizzle melted butter over bananas and toss gently to coat.

Combine cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over bananas.

Bake, without turning, until tender, 9-10 minutes. Serve warm over ice cream and garnish with chocolate shavings. Serves 4.

Ready to bake

 

Cool a few minutes after baking

 

Served over ice cream with chocolate shavings

 

Vanilla Cream Pound Cake

Recipe of the Week, this pound cake is rich and delicious. The Jungle Jim's taste testers couldn't agree if the cake is better for breakfast, a snack or as dessert.

Vanilla Cream Pound Cake

2 sticks unsalted butter
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
8 ounces heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon pure vanilla

Preheat oven to 325°. Grease a 12 cup tube or bundt pan. Remove butter, eggs and cream from refrigerator 45 minutes before mixing batter.

Combine butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating thoroughly and scraping down sides of bowl after each addition. Add flour alternately with whipping cream, mixing well. Beat until batter is very smooth, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla, mix well. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 1¼-1½ hours, until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan and transfer cake to a cooling rack to cool completely. Serves 12.

Batter will be very thick and heavy


Cool 10 minutes in pan


Serve sprinkled with powdered sugar (also good with fresh berries)

Chocolate Bread and Butter

Lisa Cooper-Holmes from Haute Chocolate in Montgomery was at The Cooking School this week for a decadent Glorious Chocolate Ganache class. Lisa made Chocolate Bread and Butter in class and promised to provide us with a variation on the recipe.

Lisa’s Chocolate Bread and Butter
recipe courtesy of Lisa Cooper-Holmes

2 ½ cups milk
½ cup heavy cream
4 ounces semisweet chocolate
4 ounces butter at room temperature
6 thick slices of bread
3 eggs
¼ cup super fine sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup dried cherries

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 6 cup shallow baking dish.

Place milk, cream and chocolate in a 2-3 quart saucepan and heat at medium heat on cooktop until chocolate is melted. You are creating a ganache.

Butter the bread. Place the six slices of buttered bread in prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the bread slices with the dried cherries.

Whisk the eggs and sugar into the chocolate ganache and then pour this mixture over the sliced and buttered bread.

In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle this mixture over the egg mixture in the baking dish.

Place dish in a roasting pan filled with just enough water to go halfway up the sides of the dish. Bake for 50-55 minutes until custard is set and top is crusty and brown. Serve warm with whipped cream. Serves 6.

Apple Cobbler Variation:
Sauté 1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced, in 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon sugar and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon until softened. Add to casserole before baking.

 

Apple Spice Cake

I really like this cake. It comes together quickly with ingredients from the pantry and makes a tasty breakfast or dessert cake. At The Cooking School, it made a nice snack cake - we had plenty of volunteers to taste test it for us. I like it simply sprinkled with powdered sugar, but a glaze works, too. Use your favorite apples - I made this with Granny Smith and Jonagold. The cake tastes better if you make it a day or two in advance, cool, wrap it well in plastic wrap and store at room temperature.

Apple Spice Cake

3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cloves
1 ¼ cups vegetable oil
3 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups chopped, peeled apples
1 cup chopped, toasted nuts

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 12 cup bundt pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, soda, salt and spices. Add oil, eggs and vanilla and stir until well combined. Fold in apples and nuts. Pour into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick tests clean, about 1 hour. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from pan and cool completely on a rack. Serves 12.

The batter for this cake is very thick

 

Cake is done

 

 

Served with a sprinkle of powdered sugar