Fresh Peach Cake

While I think this taste would be ideally suited for when peaches are ready for picking in your area, I was too tempted by the picture in my magazine to wait until late summer!  The June issue of FoodNetwork Magazine is full of great summer ideas and I have tons of pages ear marked for experimentation!  

I did make a few minor changes... I did not have quite enough sour cream so I used what I had and also a container of peach yogurt.  The recipe also called for two extra large eggs and I only had large eggs on hand.  The cake was still super moist so I don't think the egg difference made all that much of a difference. I did make one minor error... the recipe called for layering the peaches twice.  I was in a rush and skipped over that part... sigh.  It did still taste divine though!

Fresh Peach Cake

modified from the Food Network Magazine

1/4 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 extra large eggs, at room temperature  (I used 2 large eggs)

1 cup sour cream, at room temperature  (I added container of peach yogurt to the sour cream I had on hand,  since I was low on sour cream)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 large ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced  (I used just a bit over a pound of ripened peaches)

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Sprinkled topping of nuts and cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 9-inch square baking pan

In a large size bowl, beat together the butter and 1 cup of sugar for 3-5 minutes on medium high speed, or until light and fluffy.  Reduce speed to low and add the eggs, one at a time, then the sour cream, vanilla and mix until the batter is smooth.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix just until combined.

In another small bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the cinnamon.

Spread 1/2 the batter evenly in the pan.  Top with half of the peaches, then sprinkle with 2/3 of the sugar cinnamon mixture.  Spread the remaining batter on top, arrange the remaining peaches on top and sprinkle with the remaining sugar mixture and the pecans

Bake the cake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Serve warm or at room temperature

fresh from the oven!

Peach Mango Salsa

Costco sells this Peach Mango Salsa that my son really loves, but I'm not in love with the price! I was able to get my hands on some ripe peaches and thought I would try my luck at canning my own peach mango salsa. I found a recipe at allrecipes.com for Peach Salsa II but it wasn't quite what I was looking for so I scoured the Internet and read a few other recipes and made my own. Please use your own wisdom when trying someone's home canning recipes. Its always best to check with your extension office to see if a recipe is safe before using! Thanks.  This recipe is heavenly! I used up an entire jar at our pinochle party!

Peach Mango Salsa

3 cups fresh peaches - peeled, pitted and chopped

1 mango - peeled, pitted and chopped

1 medium sized sweet onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

1cup diced roma tomatoes

4 jalapeno peppers, minced

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/4 cup distilled white vinegar

1 teaspoon grated lime zest

juice of one lime

1/4 cup white sugar

1 (49 gram) package fruit pectin crystals

3 1/2 cups white sugar

5 pint sized canning jars

Directions

     Sterilize jars and lids.

     In a large saucepan, combine peaches, mango, tomatoes, onion, pepper, cilantro, garlic, cumin, vinegar, and lime zest, lime juice. Stir together pectin and 1/4 cup sugar. Bring to a boil, and stir in remaining 3 1/2 cups sugar. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir for 5 minutes.

     Pour peach mango salsa into prepared jars, leaving 1/4 inch air space. Seal, and process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

putting my mom to work!