PERFECT PEACH POUND CAKE

See the sun dance across her rosey cheeks, soft and downy. She is sweet yet subtle. And, the spotlight follows her wherever she goes. She is a star! My little Georgia peach…

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh peaches, pitted and chopped

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Butter a 10 inch tube pan and coat with white sugar.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla. Reserve 1/4 cup of flour for later, and sift together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually stir into the creamed mixture. Use the reserved flour to coat the chopped peaches, then fold the floured peaches into the batter. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake for 60 to 70 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.
I start the recipe by peeling and chopping the peaches into bite-size pieces. I don’t like to stop in the middle of making a cake batter to chop fruit. I always have my fruit ready for me when I need it. But, try to resist eating the peaches now. You’ll need them later.
One of the things that is different about this recipe is that I prepare the pan with shortening and a sprinkle of sugar instead of flour. This makes for a sweet crunchy crust that tastes like a sugar cookie. Delicious!
Cream the butter and sugar together.
Add the eggs and mix until creamy.
Prepare the dry ingredients.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter and egg mixture. The batter will be much thicker than a traditional pound cake batter because there’s no milk added. The moisture will come from the peaches.
Toss the peaches with 1/4 cup of flour. This prevents the peaches from sinking to the bottom of the cake as it bakes.
Add the peaches to the batter and fold in gently to prevent the peaches from breaking up in the batter. Carefully lift the batter from the bottom of the bowl and cover the peaches. Fold until the peaches are just barely covered with batter. Do not overmix!
I see you, little girl! You’re going to be a star!