Peach Blueberry Cake

What a dilemma, naming this peach and blueberry cake! There's a kinda-sorta cake that lines the pan and cups the rainbow-colored fruit. But is it actually a peach and blueberry tart? Maybe but not in the traditional sense, there is much more filling. Is it a peach and blueberry pie then? Definitely not, even if the proportion of filling to cake is more like a deep-dish pie than a tart. There's just one solution! Make it and decide for yourself what this genre-bending summer dessert should be called.

Real Food, Fresh & Seasonal. Beautiful Color. Budget Friendly. Potluck & Party Friendly. Rave Reviews. What're you waiting for?!

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COMPLIMENTS!

• "I suspended disbelief at the baking time ... it was wonderful!" ~ Mireille
• "... it came out like a dream. Really delicious ..." ~ LeLo in NoPo

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The First, the Last of Summer Peaches.

Come early August, there’s a brief window when the blueberries are still plentiful and inexpensive and the local peaches are ripe and luscious.

Last summer, there was no getting enough of this country-rustic cake. The peach man at the farmers market took notice, grinning each time I stopped by for another lug.

Cantaloupe, honeydew, grapes, cherries and apricots are one thing. But peaches are heaven you can hold in your hand.

So hurry, don’t let this year’s peach and blueberry window close without trying this delicious cake. Along with the peach man, your family will soon be grinning.

Is This Fruity Dessert Really a Cake? A Tart? A Pie?

You can see, here, that this is "almost" a peach blueberry pie and "almost" a deep-dish peach-blueberry tart.

But somehow? It's still cake!

No matter what you call this rustic fruit-filled dessert cake, it looks and tastes like summer.

FYI, the fruit didn't set up here as much as it usually does. I suspect an hour in the fridge would have made it quite firm but I happen to like the soft, deep flavors of fruit served at room temperature so left it this way.

How to Make Peach Blueberry Cake

The detailed recipe is written in traditional recipe form below but here are the highlights in three easy steps. You can do this!

• MIX & FORM & CHILL THE CAKEY-CRUST Mix the "cake" ingredients in a food processor, then press the buttery mixture into a springform pan just like a press-in pie crust. Chill the pan, helping it to firm back up before hitting the oven. Word to the wise, you'll wonder if there's another to spread across the entire pan, there is, just be patient and use your fingers to spread it evenly across the pan's bottom and sides.


• MIX THE FRUITY FILLING Mix chopped peaches and blueberries with sugar (for sweetening and thickening), flour (for thickening), cornstarch (for thickening), a little cinnamon, lemon zest and a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice (for balancing the sweet fruit). Pour it into the cakey-crust.


• BAKE FOR WHAT WILL SEEM LIKE (AND IS) A LONG, LONG WHILE This is going to be hard. Cover the springform pan loosely with foil, then bake for almost two hours, an hour and 45 minutes to be exact. I know, this sounds crazy! But it works, I promise. That said, after an hour, I do check every 15 minutes, just in case.

You Might Wonder Be Wondering ...

Have another question? Ask away, I'll do my best to answer!

• Should the peaches be peeled? No! There's no need to peel the peaches, wow, what a pain that is. Good news, the peach skins will not only melt indiscernibly into the fruit mixture but also thicken the fruit mixture thanks to the pectin found in the skins. Just cut 'em up!


• What about trying other fruit? Yes! The peach-blueberry combo is wonderful both visually and eat-ily but other fruit may well work too. (And commenters on the inspiring recipe agree.) Ripe nectarines are an obvious substitute for peaches. But I keep wanting to slip in some some halved fresh figs on top. Other fruits? Sour cherries? Gorgeous. Pineapple? Maybe. Mango? Yes! Apple? Maybe. Rhubarb and strawberries? Again, I think so but taste for sweetness. When choosing fruit, keep in mind that peaches are juicy, blueberries turn soft with heat.


• What about frozen fruit? I think so. Since for me this is a summer cake, I haven't ever tried it with frozen fruit. But I do think frozen fruit would do well. That said, I wouldn't thaw the fruit first, you don't want to lose the juice even if the frosty fruit could well affect the already long baking time.

For Best Results

For my weekly column in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, I interviewed chefs and translated their restaurant recipes for home kitchens. The most iluminating question? "How can a home cook ensure the same results?" So now I ask that question of myself, too, for my own recipes. Have another question? Ask away, I'll do my best to answer!

Choose Oven Temperature Based on the Color of Your Springform Pan This cake is baked in a springform pan, that's the one often used for making cheesecake. It's special because the sides of the pan are separate from the bottom base of the pan. Loosen the clasp on the outside the side of the pan, you can carefully lift it off the cake without disturbing the sides.

But! The most important feature of a springform pan is its color. Some are non-stick and dark in color. If yours is a dark-colored pan, set the oven at 350F/180C. Other pans are light / silvery in color. If yours is a light-colored pan, set the oven 25 degrees higher, that's 375C.

Ignore this common convention connecting pan color and oven temperature at your peril! That's because of the especially long baking time, exacerbating the impact of a dark pan.

Bookmark! PIN! Share!

How do you save and share favorite recipes? recipes that fit your personal cooking style? a particular recipe your mom or daughter or best friend would just love? If this simple summer cake hits the mark, go ahead, save and share! I'd be honored ...

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PEACH BLUEBERRY CAKE

Hands-on time: 25 minutes
Oven time: 1-3/4 hours
Serves about 10

CAKE
• 1-1/2 cups (190g) flour
• 1/2 cup (100g) sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon


• 8 tablespoons (1 stick, 113g) cold butter, diced
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

FRUIT FILLING
• 1/2 cup (100g) sugar
• 2 tablespoons (16g) flour
• 1 tablespoon (8g) cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon


• 2 pounds (900g) perfectly ripe peaches, peels on, pitted and chopped
• 1 cup blueberries
• Zest from 1 lemon
• Juice from 1/2 lemon (about 1 tablespoon)

CAKE Briefly pulse the dry ingredients (see ALANNA’s TIPS) in a food processor (see TIPS). Add the butter and pulse until the mixture becomes a coarse meal with some pea-sized lumps of butter. Add the egg and vanilla, pulse just until the dough forms a ball. With floured hands, press the dough, sides first, into a 9-inch (that's what I use) or 9.5-inch springform pan (the springform's pan color is important, please see TIPS). Refrigerate while mixing the Fruit Filling.

FRUIT FILLING Heat the oven to 375F or 350F (that's 190C or 350F, see TIPS for which oven temperature to pick). Combine the dry ingredients (see TIPS) in a large bowl, then stir in the fruit, zest and lemon juice. Spoon fruit topping evenly onto the crust.

BAKE Cover the top of the springform pan loosely with foil. Bake until the Fruit Filling is bubbly and the crust golden, about 1-3/4 hours.

It’s not a typo, this cake does indeed bake for nearly two hours. If you like, test the cake after an hour and every 15 minutes thereafter. I find it isn't needed but it might make you feel better to check! Do be sure to cover with foil so the top doesn’t burn.

REST Remove from the oven, remove the foil and let the cake rest for about 20 minutes: not to worry, the fruit filling will firm up as the cake cools. Once it's cooled a bit, carefully remove the sides of the springform pan, slipping a knife along the sides if needed.

SERVE Serve at room temperature. Frozen yogurt on the side is excellent, so is a spoonful of softly whipped cream, but really, no topping is needed.

ALANNA's TIPS Pan color makes a huge difference! If your springform pan is light in color, bake this cake at 375F, if it’s dark, at 350F. The accepted wisdom among expert bakers is to reduce baking temperature by 25 degrees whenever using a dark pan. Should you spray the springform with baking spray? To be careful, do grease the pan. I've had no trouble removing the cake from my springform pan, but others have. I've mixed the cake batter with a mixer as well as a food processor and it does work. Without a side-by-side comparison, I believe that the food processor yields a lighter, more cake-like crust, where the mixer yields something thinner and denser. Mind you, both are good! When pressing the cake dough into the springform pan, be patient. At times, you'll wonder if there is enough. There is, just gently work it down the sides and across the bottom of the pan, paying special attention to the corners. Once, I accidentally omitted the sugar in the fruit. But was still plenty sweet and perhaps better if serving, say, for a morning bread, instead of a dessert. The term "dry ingredients" is kitchen shorthand for ingredients such as flour, sugar and spices along with leavening agents like baking powder and baking soda. For a mid-winter taste of summer, make this with frozen peaches and blueberries.

FOR MORE INFO If you "skipped straight to the recipe," please scroll back to the top of this page for ingredient information, ingredient substitutions, tips and more. If you print this recipe, you'll want to check the recipe online for even more tips and extra information about ingredient substitutions, best results and more. See https://www.kitchenparade.com/2006/08/peach-blueberry-cake.php

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Serving (assumes 10): 289 Calories; 9g Tot Fat; 6g Sat Fat; 45mg Cholesterol; 121mg Sodium; 48g Carb; 3g Fiber; 29g Sugar; 4g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS Old Points 6 & PointsPlus 8 & SmartPoints 14 & Freestyle 11 & myWW green 11 & blue 11 & purple 11 & future WW points CALORIE COUNTERS 100-calorie serving = 1/3 slice (1g protein).

Adapted from the much-missed Gourmet magazine, July 2005, where it's explained that the long baking time prevents the ripe fruit from releasing their juices. FYI the comments in the original recipe on Epicurious are quite useful.

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More Peaches? Definitely More Blueberries!

and definitely more
~ Fruity Desserts too! ~

• THE RECIPE Peach, Cherry & Blueberry Fruit Sauce or Fruit Soup A special three-fruit combo, especially good on chocolate ice cream.
• ANOTHER TAKE Blueberry Jam with Cinnamon Sweet, spicy, summery blueberry jam in 90 minutes.

• THE RECIPE Roasted Peaches A simple yet unexpected and stunning dessert.
• ANOTHER TAKE Homemade Peach Syrup with Fresh Peaches Thick, caramel-y peach syrup.

• THE RECIPE Blueberry Cake Simple and rustic, topped with jammy blueberries.
• ANOTHER TAKE Blueberry Cheesecake Pie Cheesecake topped with homemade blueberry pie filling. No bake!

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, for more scratch cooking recipes using whole, healthful ingredients, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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