Last week my mother-in-law took the kids over to Tougas Farm for some peach picking. I was thrilled to get a big box of peaches and was even happier to find out that my daughter ate more peaches than she picked. By her estimate she ate 11 peaches that day. Yikes, that’s a lot of peaches. I completely understand because when I was a kid I would overdose on peaches when they were in season too. The perfect peach has been one of my quests ever since I moved to the States. I still think that the peaches grown in Ontario are the best I’ve ever eaten. The Niagara Fruit Belt produces 90% of Ontario’s peaches. My mom would bring home a basket of peaches in the summer and I would eat and eat them.

On our way back from vacation we stopped at the grocery store to buy our stash of Canadian junk food and they had a display of Niagara peaches. I had to control myself from filling my cart the way I saw another shopper doing. Instead I bought one lonely basket of peaches.

I ate one at our hotel and it was divine. Unfortunately, there is something about those peaches that gives me hives. Once we were home I couldn’t help myself because the peaches had ripened to perfection in the car. I ate 3 peaches and got hives all over my stomach. My doctor suggested that it is something to do with the peach skin so I peeled them but still I got hives.  I don’t have a reaction with the peaches here in the States but then again I have been able to eat those ones in moderation.

So with a box of peaches in my fridge and my daughter’s interest in the peaches on the decline I needed to find some recipes to use them up. I saw this recipe at Hot Polka Dot with a title that made me smile and some beautiful photos. So I decided that would be my first recipe to try.

Honey Peach Upside Down Cake (from Hot Polka Dot)

  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 peaches, sliced
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 2 eggs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and position a rack in the center. Butter a 9 inch round cake pan and place a circle of parchment paper to fit on the bottom of the pan. Butter the parchment paper as well and then set it aside.

I discovered a great method for slicing the perfect peach slices. First cut through the peach until you hit the pit. Twist the peach halves in opposite directions to separate one half from the pit. Then cut slices in the other half that still has the pit in it and pull the slices off the pit. Perfect peach slices every time.

Spread the 1/4 cup of honey over the bottom of the pan then arrange the peach slices on top.

In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl with an electric mixer cream together the butter, sugar and honey then blend in the eggs. Add the dry ingredients and mix it until it’s smooth.

Pour the batter over the peaches and honey then bake it for 30 – 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Lindsey from Hot Polka Dot said that “this cake will appear raw and jiggly in the middle while the rest seems like it’s burning. That’s the honey making mischief.”

Leave the cake in it’s pan and let it cool on a cooling rack for about 10 – 15 minutes.

Once the pan is cool enough to touch carefully flip the cake over onto a serving plate by placing the plate upside down over the cake pan then, while gripping both the plate and pan, quickly turn the whole thing right side up. Gently shake the pan until the cake slips out.

Check out that beautiful cake. I thought that it was wonderfully tasty fresh out of the oven. I sent some over to my in-laws the next day and they thought that it looked better than it tasted. So my advice is to serve it the same day you bake it.

I also learned that I love love love the combination of honey with sliced peaches. I was scooping up the excess honey from the measuring cup with my extra peach slices and it was fabulous.

cake, canadian, dessert, fruit, recipe, Recipes

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August 20, 2010

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