Time Traveler Extraordinaire (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
solaciolum) wrote2011-08-22 10:31 am
solaciolum) wrote2011-08-22 10:31 am
Entry tags:
okay, my icon is kind of lying, I made cake instead
So, I made this peach cake yesterday; I'd bought some local peaches on Friday, and they unfortunately went from tart and sassy to gently sweet by the time I got around to baking.
I mostly chose this recipe because that picture is so incredibly gorgeous- of course, my cake did not come out looking anything like that, but I wasn't expecting it to.
It's a pretty good cake, although not what I'd call spectacular- perhaps if I'd used better peaches, I'd have liked it more. Or if I'd cooked it a minute or two less; I think it ended up a little drier than I expected. I did garnish it with fresh peaches, and not more cooked ones, though, which I think was an excellent idea- while the cake itself isn't overwhelmingly sweet, the tang of the sourcream and cream cheese doesn't do quite enough to counteract all the sugar. The fresh peaches added an extra burst of brightness that I think it needed.
If I were to do this again, I might saute the peaches with brandy, for a bit of an alcoholic kick, or put a layer of fresh peaches between the layers of the cake (though I don't know if that'd make it soggy or not). I'd also use 9 inch pans instead of the 8 inch ones the recipe calls for- it's too much cake for pans that size, and I don't have the patience for trimming down uneven edges or muffin tops from where it spilled over the pan. Sure, you get an impressively tall cake in the end, but I'd be happy with a shorter, less fussy-to-construct cake. (I realize that with a cake that looks like the way this one is supposed to, fussy construction is half the point, but. Well. I'm lazy.)
(And now I'm thinking: cut it down to two eggs, maybe increase the butter to a whole cup, use brown sugar instead of white, reduce the vanilla to something slightly less decadent, bake in a 9x13 pan with a streusel topping, and you have a delicious peach coffee cake. No fussy construction or guilty feelings over using up all the eggs.)
I second the recipe's recommendation to mix the frosting in two batches, because unless you really, really like frosting, you'll probably realize that you don't need to make the second batch. It is amazing frosting, though, especially with the peach syrup- I added more than two tablespoons to the half batch, and it's tangy and sweet and peachy and fantastic.
I mostly chose this recipe because that picture is so incredibly gorgeous- of course, my cake did not come out looking anything like that, but I wasn't expecting it to.
It's a pretty good cake, although not what I'd call spectacular- perhaps if I'd used better peaches, I'd have liked it more. Or if I'd cooked it a minute or two less; I think it ended up a little drier than I expected. I did garnish it with fresh peaches, and not more cooked ones, though, which I think was an excellent idea- while the cake itself isn't overwhelmingly sweet, the tang of the sourcream and cream cheese doesn't do quite enough to counteract all the sugar. The fresh peaches added an extra burst of brightness that I think it needed.
If I were to do this again, I might saute the peaches with brandy, for a bit of an alcoholic kick, or put a layer of fresh peaches between the layers of the cake (though I don't know if that'd make it soggy or not). I'd also use 9 inch pans instead of the 8 inch ones the recipe calls for- it's too much cake for pans that size, and I don't have the patience for trimming down uneven edges or muffin tops from where it spilled over the pan. Sure, you get an impressively tall cake in the end, but I'd be happy with a shorter, less fussy-to-construct cake. (I realize that with a cake that looks like the way this one is supposed to, fussy construction is half the point, but. Well. I'm lazy.)
(And now I'm thinking: cut it down to two eggs, maybe increase the butter to a whole cup, use brown sugar instead of white, reduce the vanilla to something slightly less decadent, bake in a 9x13 pan with a streusel topping, and you have a delicious peach coffee cake. No fussy construction or guilty feelings over using up all the eggs.)
I second the recipe's recommendation to mix the frosting in two batches, because unless you really, really like frosting, you'll probably realize that you don't need to make the second batch. It is amazing frosting, though, especially with the peach syrup- I added more than two tablespoons to the half batch, and it's tangy and sweet and peachy and fantastic.