Save your flawless fruits for snacking, and bake the rest into an extra peachy cake.
Biting into a sweet, juicy peach is an unparalleled experience, but it’s also a rare one. For whatever reason, truly perfect peaches remain somewhat elusive, sometimes only showing themselves a few times a season (and some years not at all). Luckily, baking nearly perfect peaches (or slightly subpar ones) makes them softer and juicier and enhances their floral, fruity flavor. While apricots and plums bake into jammy puddles ideal for cobblers and crisps, peaches hold on to much of their texture and shape once cooked (even when they’re a little overripe), meaning they stand up well in rich buttery cake batters too.
Here is a cake that is extra peachy—juicy slices of fruit enrobed in a light cornmeal cake, drizzled with a fresh peach glaze. A small amount of cornmeal adds flavor and crunch without weighing down the crumb or taking the cake into cornbread territory. Since cornmeal is particularly absorbent, I add sour cream for extra richness and moisture to keep the cake from being crumbly and dry. This is a soft, spongy, tall cake, so two layers of fruit are better than one. Half of the peaches are placed between layers of luscious cake batter, and the remaining peaches are arranged on top, becoming partially enveloped by cake during the bake.
Most fruity cakes don’t need much embellishment, but since this one doesn’t include a large amount of sugar, a light layer of glaze adds an extra hit of sweetness. I like to make the glaze by combining few muddled peach slices and a squeeze of lemon juice with powdered sugar and mixing until a smooth, glossy icing is formed. Once dried, it turns into a thin, sweet, crackly layer that adds just a whisper of fresh peachiness. It’s the kind of cake that can be eaten anytime—breakfast, teatime, or dessert—though the plush yet sturdy crumb means it travels well, making it an ideal dessert for taking on a picnic. While you may only encounter an ideal peach on rare occasions, this is a cake you can enjoy all summer long.
