Summer

Cornmeal Peach Whiskey Cake

September 14, 2017
5
4 Ratings
Photo by Tania Bakes
  • Makes one 9" cake
Author Notes

This cake is a cross between a coffee cake and a cornmeal bread. The peach slices are soaked in whiskey and sugar overnight to infuse the flavors and enhance the peaches’ sweetness. Then they are arranged on top of a whipped cornmeal cake batter and baked until fragrant, golden in color, and the sides barely pulling away from the pan. Serve it warm with great coffee, or with some more fresh fruit, whipped cream or maybe even a delicious scoop of crème fraîche ice cream if you’re feeling adventurous. —Tania Bakes

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Ingredients
  • Fruit Topping
  • 4 medium firm peaches
  • 1.5 tablespoons whiskey
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • Cornmeal Cake
  • 160 grams all-purpose flour
  • 85 grams fine cornmeal flour
  • teaspoons baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoons kosher salt
  • Zest of half a small lemon
  • 113 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 110 grams granulated sugar
  • 110 grams light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons whiskey
  • 150 milliliters whole milk
  • turbinado sugar, for sprinkling
Directions
  1. Soak the peach slices in whiskey and sugar for at least 4 hours preferably overnight. The next day, drain the peaches from their juices and set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Butter a 9″ (23cm) round cake pan, butter and flour the pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. Set aside. Beat butter with the sugars on medium-high speed until light and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating to combine after each addition and beat in whiskey. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with milk and beginning and ending with flour; beat until just combined.
  4. Transfer batter to the prepared pan. Arrange the peach slices on top, pressing some down into batter. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake until edges begin to pull away from pan and top springs back when lightly touched, around 50 minutes.
  5. Let cool in the pan for 20 min then carefully turn out onto a wire rack (it’s fragile when warm). Let cool completely before serving.

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1 Review

Kathy T. July 13, 2022
So very good! I did cook the cake quite a bit longer (1 hour, 10 mins). Perhaps my oven runs a bit cooler. My peaches were very “juicy”. I added 1 tsp each ground ginger and coriander. Soaked peach slices in whiskey/sugar overnight. Used vanilla in batter instead of whiskey. Served with whipped cream. Will definitely make again.