Well, this is embarrassing.  The lovely Recipe Inspiration for this week is Simple Summer Peach Cake. I had Every Intention of using peaches and blueberries in the cake. Honest I did. Until my friend Becca asked for guest posters. I volunteered and posted about making fruit crisp. And then I figured that I’d better actually make a fruit crisp so folks wouldn’t think I was All Talk and No Action. So I used the 3 ripe peaches I had in the house to make 3 individual peach crisps.

They were great, and all.  And me? Peachless. Alas, not only was I Peachless, but I was also lazy and didn’t want to run to the farmers’ market to grab some more. Because Across the Street is way closer. And across the street live blackberries.

Lots of ’em. As a matter of fact, this is the first year that we’ve had enough rain for long enough into the season that they are all plump and lovely and Not Bitter. Because last year? Yow! Not enough salt or sugar in the world to counteract the Bitter that characterized the Not So Great Blackberry Crop of ’11.

Since I already owned some blueberries, I figured that blackberries and blueberries could live together in harmony. And then I brought brown butter into the mix because I can’t Not do that.  Actually, the basic formula for my version is really the brown butter blueberry buckle that I made a couple of weeks ago.  As Fortune would have it, it’s also very similar to the original recipe inspiration.  The only real difference is that half the bulk of the flour is ground almonds. So, in my version, the cake has 9 oz (2 cups-ish) of flour whereas the simple summer peach cake contains a cup each of flour and ground almonds. You can totally do that if you want. It’s a great idea.  Next time I make it, I’ll probably sub out some of the flour for some cornmeal, because the sweetness of the corn plays very nicely with the berries. Or peaches if I have them.

I also added streusel because…Streusel Don’t Need No Reason!

Ahem.

Anyway, I made this guy and he’s really good. I’m calling him Peachy as a nod to the peaches that Were but are No Longer and also because the cake is Peachy as in Very Good. Peachy keen.  Give this one a try, using whatever berries are ripe and lovely where you live. Or peaches/plums/apricots/What Have You. Feel free to switch up the flavorings–I rarely use the same flavorings twice, because I get bored.

“Peachy” Black and Blueberry Cake

Yield: 8 -10

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Cool Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

This batter is more like a cookie dough. It'll look pretty clumpy and sandy when you have finished mixing it. Just dump it all in the pan and Worry Not. If there's any completely dry flour in the bottom of your bowl, don't add that. But the rest will be fine. I promise.

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Ingredients

For the Streusel

• 3.5 oz granulated sugar
• 1.5 oz flour, (cake or all purpose)
• heavy pinch of salt
• 1.5 oz butter, (3 Tablespoons)
• pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg
• wee splash of vanilla

For the Cake

• 9 oz . cake flour
• 5.25 oz . granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries
• 1 1/2 cups blackberries
• 1 egg
• 3 oz butter, , browned and strained
• 5 oz plain yogurt, (I used Greek. Feel free to use sour cream or buttermilk if you want)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

1. Prepare an 8" or 9" springform pan by spraying it with pan spray and fitting a parchment circle in the bottom of the pan. Spray the parchment and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 375F.

For the Streusel

1. Mix all ingredients together by hand until crumbly. Set aside.

For the Cake

1. Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.
2. Melt the butter over medium heat. Let sit until it comes to a boil. Keep an eye on it, and when the milk solids fall to the bottom of the pan and turn a medium golden brown, remove from heat and strain through a fine strainer into a heatproof bowl. Set aside to cool to warm.
3. Whisk the yogurt and egg together.
4. Whisk in the warm brown butter.
5. Toss the berries in with the dry ingredients and combine gently to distribute the fruit evenly.
6. Pour in the yogurt mixture and fold together as well as you can. It'll be a fairly stiff mixture, so try not to smash the berries while combining.
7. Gently press the mixture into the prepared pan as smoothly as you can. Sprinkle on all the streusel.
8. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes.
9. Turn the heat down to 350F and continue baking until the cake is firm and the streusel is a deep golden brown, about another 20-30 minutes depending on your oven.
10. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Loosen the sides of the cake from the pan and remove the sides. Let the cake cool to warm. Serve warm or at room temperature.

And there you have it. This week’s Extremely satisfying Recipe Interpretation.

If you baked along, and I really hope that you did, please post your entry in the comments or over on the fan page. Thanks, and I hope you have a lovely day.