I love peaches. When it’s peach season, I eat peaches for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I can’t get the taste out of my mind, and I don’t want to. I want to feed the craving. I mean, that’s how you handle a craving, right? Or do I misunderstand the fundamental nature of the universe?
It’s nearly impossible for me to overbuy peaches, since I consume them at such an alarming rate. But occasionally it does happen. Peaches, left to ripen at room temperature, can reach the squishy stage remarkably fast. When that happens, it’s time to break out the baked goods. If peaches are sublime by themselves, just imagine how much more transporting peaches with carbs and sugar can be!
When I have slightly overripe peaches, I usually make peach crisp, but I was feeling adventurous. I decided to make a peach cake using a beautiful Bundt cake pan given to me as a gift a couple Christmases ago. I found a recipe online and got down to whisking, mixing, blending and chopping. The recipe called for 21/2 cups of fresh peaches layered between a lot of thick, sticky dough.
It smelled heavenly while it was baking and the cake was nicely browned when I removed it from the oven. I let it cool for about an hour, then prepared to invert the cake onto a cake stand. It wouldn’t budge. That’s when I discovered it was entirely raw inside. It had not cooked at all. I figured it was a lost cause but gamely put it back in the oven for another half-hour on the slight chance that I could salvage this whole operation. I ended up with a cake that was mostly cooked on the inside and completely charred on the outside. What could be more appetizing?