Peach Caramel Cake

  • Healthy Peach Cake

    I’m starting to lose my mind.

    (If The Husband weren’t away for work in London right now, he’d question my decision to use the word ‘starting’.  I’d laugh, pretend to be wounded, and then absolutely agree with him.  I have conversations with people all the time when they’re not in the room [or continent].  The Husband thinks it’s odd.  Don’t… you… do that too?)

    So anyways, back to my dementia.

    I have been making the Guilt-Free Mandarin Cake since the year No Diggity came out on the radio.  (That’s two decades ago.  No freaking diggity.)  While grocery shopping recently I saw a can of peaches and got that brilliant jolt that us bakers often get while in the baking aisles: it’s called inspiration.  “I WILL MAKE THE GUILT-FREE MANDARIN ORANGE CAKE, BUT WITH PEACHES INSTEAD!”  (I might have said it out loud, I don’t know.)

    Here’s the thing, though.

    I already made the GUILT-FREE MANDARIN ORANGE CAKE, BUT WITH PEACHES INSTEAD… and photographed it… and blogged about it… to you all.  Precisely right here.  This means that I already had that stupid jolt of brilliance in the canned fruit aisle.  And I forgot all about it.  Is there any clearer example of early Alzheimer’s onset than that?  (I did this whole thing with another recipe last month, too, and I swear to God I forget what it was right now.  Appropriate to reinforce my point.)

    In order to salvage the cake and make it new enough to present to you as a unique-ish recipe, I slathered peach preserves all over the top of the cake and then doused it in caramel.  And then put a few more peaches on top.  I think it turned out quite well, especially considering the rapidly deteriorating condition of my mind.  Who knows what I’ll come up with next.  Maybe I’ll get this great idea to make an apron with my World’s Greatest Fudge Brownie on it?

    Adapted from my Guilt-Free Mandarin Orange Cake and my Healthy & Easy Peach Cake recipes, as I know you know…

    CAKE:

    1 cup VERY ripe fresh peach pieces (peeled), or canned drained peach chunks (save a few slices to garnish top of cake, if so desired)

    1 cup sugar

    1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

    1 teaspoon baking soda

    1 teaspoon vanilla

    3/4 cups peach preserves

    CARAMEL:

    2/3 cup packed brown sugar

    2 tablespoons butter

    3 tablespoons milk or cream

    Pinch of salt

    1/2 teaspoon vanilla

    1. CAKE:
      1. Preheat oven to 350°, and grease an 8″ cake pan (ideally place a parchment round in the bottom of the cake pan).
      2. Throw all ingredients into a food processor, blender, or stand mixer and mix until smooth (batter will be quite thin).  A few tiny chunks of peach are acceptable if you are using a stand mixer.
      3. Bake the cake for 30 minutes.  (Be careful not to over bake; the top of the cake should spring back when gently pressed, &/or a cake tester should come out almost clean of crumbs.)  Place the cake on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then carefully remove from pan and place on serving plate.
    2. GLAZE:
      1. Melt ingredients (except for vanilla) in a small saucepan over medium heat, stir, and bring to a boil for one minute.  Add vanilla then boil for additional minute.
      2. Poke holes across the surface of the cake (while still hot) using a fork.  Pour half of warm caramel sauce over top and allow to sink into holes.  Spread the peach preserves over the top of the cake, then pour the remaining caramel over top (being sure to let some drip down sides of the cake).  Garnish with whatever peach slices remain, if you are inspired to do so.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

    Tips:

    • The peaches really do need to be ripe- and when I say ripe, I mean ripe to the point of the messiest peach you’d ever want to eat (think drippy and almost gross).  Firm peaches are nice, but have no place in this recipe.  (Really- use canned peaches if you don’t have fresh- they are way easier anyway, especially since you don’t have to peel the canned ones.  If you’re not thrilled with the syrup that the canned peaches come in sometimes, just rinse them off before adding to the blender.)
    • You can totally use regular flour if you don’t have or want use whole wheat pastry flour.  So there.
    • Health kick?  Skip the caramel, or use half of it.
    • Oh, Alzheimers.
    • Enjoy!

     

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    January 30th, 2016 | More Sweets Please | No Comments | Tags: , ,

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