peach bundt cake
My spectacular baking fail.
On Sunday, I suddenly wanted this cake: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/whole-orange-cake, which I've made once before. Oranges are coming into season, and the last time I made it, the oranges I used were not terribly ripe or juicy. It still came out okay, as far as I remember. This time around, the bitter taste from the pith overpowered the cake, and not even a ton of glaze could save it. The texture of that cake was also too dense for my liking. The cake also stuck to the pan when it came out. Though I managed to get the stuck part out in one piece, it didn't fit back in like a puzzle piece. Add this to the rather dry and flavorless red velvet bundt from 2 weeks ago, and I was determined to have something come out well.
Baking win.
When I bought the oranges, peaches were also on sale, so I thought maybe they would work in a cake. Oh, they worked well. I adapted the orange cake recipe and made sure to grease AND flour the pan this time, and success! Seriously yummy cake was the result. Doubling the leavening really helped the texture, I believe. The extracts were added on a whim, but really work.
Whole Peach Cake (adapted from here)
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups peach puree (see below)
1 tsp orange extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
peach puree: Remove the pits from and roughly chop 3-4 peaches. In a food processor, puree the peaches, along with the juice of one lemon, until no chunks are left. You will need 1 1/2 cups of this. Save the remaining puree for smoothies, or eat it with a spoon. :) I did not peel the peaches, because I am lazy and ain't nobody got time for that. The flecks of peel ended up turning green in the baked cake, but it tastes fine.
Preheat oven to 325*F and grease and flour your bundt pan.
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the peach puree and extracts. The batter may break (look curdled), but it will be fine once the flour is added. Add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour, and mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. The batter will be quite thick. Pour into the prepared bundt pan, and smooth the surface with a rubber spatula.
Bake 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake rest in the pan 15 minutes, then turn onto a rack to cool. Glaze if desired, but it doesn't really need it.
photo...
On Sunday, I suddenly wanted this cake: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/whole-orange-cake, which I've made once before. Oranges are coming into season, and the last time I made it, the oranges I used were not terribly ripe or juicy. It still came out okay, as far as I remember. This time around, the bitter taste from the pith overpowered the cake, and not even a ton of glaze could save it. The texture of that cake was also too dense for my liking. The cake also stuck to the pan when it came out. Though I managed to get the stuck part out in one piece, it didn't fit back in like a puzzle piece. Add this to the rather dry and flavorless red velvet bundt from 2 weeks ago, and I was determined to have something come out well.
Baking win.
When I bought the oranges, peaches were also on sale, so I thought maybe they would work in a cake. Oh, they worked well. I adapted the orange cake recipe and made sure to grease AND flour the pan this time, and success! Seriously yummy cake was the result. Doubling the leavening really helped the texture, I believe. The extracts were added on a whim, but really work.
Whole Peach Cake (adapted from here)
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups peach puree (see below)
1 tsp orange extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
peach puree: Remove the pits from and roughly chop 3-4 peaches. In a food processor, puree the peaches, along with the juice of one lemon, until no chunks are left. You will need 1 1/2 cups of this. Save the remaining puree for smoothies, or eat it with a spoon. :) I did not peel the peaches, because I am lazy and ain't nobody got time for that. The flecks of peel ended up turning green in the baked cake, but it tastes fine.
Preheat oven to 325*F and grease and flour your bundt pan.
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the peach puree and extracts. The batter may break (look curdled), but it will be fine once the flour is added. Add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour, and mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. The batter will be quite thick. Pour into the prepared bundt pan, and smooth the surface with a rubber spatula.
Bake 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake rest in the pan 15 minutes, then turn onto a rack to cool. Glaze if desired, but it doesn't really need it.
photo...
