Cream Puffs Peachy-Blueberry Buttermilk Cake
It was only after reading Peabody’s post on Failure to Launch that I decided to publish this. Peabody came back the next day with a beautiful recovery.
Since I’ve taken up blogging, I find my self cooking things that I wouldn’t ordinarily do. Sweet things are not the usual thing to make it into my oven for the simple reason that two people, especially these two people, can eat the whole thing very quickly. I could blame it on Cream Puffs in Venice but hey, I had these giant peaches on the counter and blueberries. So, I took a giant step and launched.
I failed in the looks department. If you put my photo next to Cream Puff’s hers wins hands down, no contest, case dismissed. But, the flavor of this is really FABULOUS!!! and the topping in INCREDIBLE!
Peach-Blueberry Buttermilk Cake
For the topping and filling:
• 1 cup all purpose flour
I used the almost 1c whole wheat pastry flour I had and added 2 T oat bran
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sliced almonds, unblanched or blanched
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1. In a bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and almonds.
2. Add the melted butter and mix until the the ingredients are no longer dry and you have a crumbly mixture.
3. Set aside.
For the cake:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
I used 2 c whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
I used brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
This is where I really lost it.
• 1 large egg yolk
I think what I did was add the white here not the yolk.
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
I’m out of vanilla and substitute almond extract.
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 4 medium-sized peaches, pitted and sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices
Nope, I mean these peaches were big and juicy and packed with peach flavor. I only used one (1) peach.
Four handfuls of blueberries
Even though I had read how Cream Puffs put this together, my time was running short and maybe I also had a senior moment. Instead of mixing the eggs and yolk into the sugar like I was supposed to I poured them into the buttermilk. I think it might make some difference to cut the yolk with the crystals of sugar. Then I got that creepy feeling that I’d used the white and thrown out the yolk, so I added another yolk which meant I added three eggs not 2 plus a yolk. Ninny.
UPDATE: After Alanna’s comment I remember the other thing I want to bring out that may have influenced the moisture of the cake was that I baked it on a baking stone. Next time I will put it on just a rack. I did also add 10 minutes to the baking time.
So if you compare my slice with Cream Puffs, hers looks artistic and lovely white and mine looks dark from the whole wheat and the center while cooked is way too moist. Too moist from brown sugar and an extra egg white.
This is packed with peach flavor, I will return to this without the extra egg white. The blueberries were only an occasional punch of flavor but very nice. The topping is grand and I would use the oat bran again.
Blueberries and Peaches...
Thursday, August 31, 2006
