This easy summer peach cake comes together quickly and bakes up tender and just-sweet-enough. It's very easy to make, and with diced peaches in the batter and more peaches sliced on top, you'll get sweet, juicy pieces of peach in every bite. I like to serve mine topped with vanilla yogurt as a peach coffee cake. Top with ice cream and serve it for dessert. Enjoy!
6ozplain Greek yogurt, room temperature170 grams or about 3/4 cup
3ozroom temperature water85 grams or 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons
1large egg at room temperature
zest of 1 lemon
1 ¼teaspoonsvanilla extract
1/2-3/4teaspoonssaltto taste
1/4-1/2teaspoonalmond extractstart with the smaller amount
Peaches!
4medium-large ripe peachesor frozen peaches
For Baking in Cast Iron
½stick unsalted butter57 grams or 2 oz
Instructions
Getting Ready
45 minutes or so before baking, measure out yogurt and water and get out the egg so everything can come to room temperature.
Melt the stick of butter in the microwave or on the stovetop. Let cool down to warm.
Set oven to 375F and set a rack and half sheet pan in the center of the oven.
Right before you start getting the batter together, place a 10" cast iron skillet on the sheet pan in the oven so it will be nice and hot.
Making the Batter
In a large bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients together.
In a 1 quart pitcher (or similar), whisk together all the wet ingredients. (I like to add the salt to the ingredients with fat in them since fat carries flavor.)
Peel and dice 3 peaches and dump them on top of the dry ingredients.
Peel and thinly slice the last peach and set aside.
Pour the wet ingredients over the peaches and, using a large silicone spatula, gently but thoroughly fold the batter together until you no longer see any pockets of dry ingredients. The batter will be thick.
Baking
Drop the second amount of butter into the cast iron skillet and let it melt (about 3 minutes). Using an oven mitt, pull out the rack, and tilt the pan so the butter spreads evenly. (See NOTES for instructions for baking in a cake pan)
Scrape the batter into the pan right on top of the melted butter, and use a spatula to spread it out smoothly.
Arrange the thinly-sliced peach on top of the batter, push the rack back in, and close the oven.
Bake for 30 minutes, then rotate the pan (rotate the whole tray, if that's easier).
Bake for an additional 20-30 minutes. Time will vary based on how juicy your peaches are. When the edges are as brown as you'd like, loosely tent foil over the cake to prevent over-browning.
Bake until the center of the cake is firm, the edges are nicely deep-golden brown, and the internal temperature of the cake is 195F-200F.
Remove the cake to a rack to cool until warm. Slice and serve from the pan. To make it Extra Breakfasty, serve with a big old dollop of rich vanilla Greek yogurt.
Once completely cool, slide the cake out onto a rack to prevent your cast iron from rusting.
Notes
Make It a Crumb Cake
Add a basic streusel to the top of the cake before baking. To add more texture, add chopped nuts to enhance your chosen fruit (pecans or almonds are both solid choices for most fruits)
To Substitute for the Cornmeal
Omit the 3 oz cornmeal and add an additional 2.5 oz (71 grams) all-purpose flour for a total of 8.5 oz (241 grams). No other changes are needed.
To Bake in a Cake Pan
Omit the butter for the pan and line a 9" x 2" cake pan or springform pan with a round of parchment. Spray the sides of the pan, and bake at 325F-350F for about an hour, or until the center reads 195-200F on an instant-read thermometer. Tent loosely with foil to keep the cake from over-browning.
To Store
Store at room temperature, covered, for a day. Refrigerate for an additional 4 days. For longer storage, freeze individual slices. Thaw in the fridge before bringing to room temperature and reheating to serve.
Variations
Use any stone fruit or summer berries in place of the peaches. And feel free to combine different fruits to equal about 2 cups for the batter and an additional cup for placing on top of the cake.