Thursday, October 16, 2014

Birthday Pound Cake with Peaches @LucyBurdette





LUCY BURDETTE:  I had the delightful assignment of making a birthday cake for an 80th birthday party a couple of weeks ago. When I asked what flavor the birthday boy would like, here's what he said: fruity, juicy, chocolate-y, any or all!

 


That leaves the door wide open, right?  I wanted something that would leave leftovers and provide a foil for the last of our stunning fall peaches. But special enough for a wonderful man. Company pound cake came to mind...

You can find a recipe for a pound cake in just about any general or dessert cookbook. They all have lots of butter, eggs, and sugar in common. But a few things make this one different.

I borrowed the sour cream idea from Southern Living, and then added my favorite flavoring combination--vanilla and almond. The eggs I used were extra-large and that made for a very fluffy cake. Be sure to butter the bunt pan liberally. And consider using the sprinkled sugar technique that Krista (?) introduced a couple of months ago. I didn't remember until too late and so the cake came out a little patchy. In the good news department, that allowed me some little pieces to sample:).

Ingredients

    •    1 1/2 cups butter, softened
    •    3 cups sugar
    •    6 large eggs
    •    3 cups all-purpose flour
    •    1/2 teaspoon salt
    •    1/4 teaspoon baking soda
    •    1 (8-oz.) container sour cream
    •    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    •    1/2 teaspoon almond extract
    •    6-8 ripe peaches, peeled, sliced and mixed with a teaspoon or so of sugar

 

Prepare the peaches and let them sit at room temperature while you make the cake. Beat the butter until soft, either with a hand or stand mixer. Slowly add the sugar, continuing to beat until light and fluffy. 








Beat the extracts and the eggs in, one by one, mixing after each until yolks disappear.

 








Sift the dry ingredients together, and then add this mixture to the batter, alternating with sour cream. Begin and end with the dry.

 





Pour into a greased and floured 12-cup tube pan.

 


I know, it's kind of ugly:)










Bake at 325 for about an hour and ten minutes. Check the doneness with a wooden skewer. Cool on a wire rack for ten minutes, then turn the cake out onto a plate. 




but who cares once the peaches are loaded on!




Serve with sliced peaches.



The birthday boy still has what it takes--we love you Joe!


MURDER WITH GANACHE, the fourth Key West mystery, is in stores now. DEATH WITH ALL THE TRIMMINGS will be out in December.

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11 comments:

  1. Happy belated birthday, to Joe. He sure doesn't look 80!

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    1. he doesn't act it either Patricia:). I think 80 is the new sixty...

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  2. That egg yolk is beautiful! So rich and orange.
    Bet that was a fabulous cake.

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    1. thanks Libby--it was much, much better tasting than it looked:)

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  3. That looks sooooo delicious!! Wish I could grab a piece through the computer...! One trick I discovered for covering up any unsightly patches on a plain cake--powdered sugar, and lots of it. It covers all kinds of sins.

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    1. Powdered sugar is a great idea Peg! Usually I can cover a homely cake with icing, but I didn't want to use icing because the peaches were so amazing:)

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  4. Looks delish! I love pound cake and peaches. Now, to make it gluten-free. Bet I can. Yum!

    Daryl/ Avery

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  5. I love the look and sound of this cake, Roberta/Lucy! Vanilla and almond is also my favorite flavoring combo.

    I'll be trying it for sure!'

    Glad your celebration was fun for the birthday boy too!

    XO

    MJ/VA

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    1. thanks MJ--you only turn 80 once so we wanted to give the celebration our best shot! xo

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  6. Wow! That birthday boy looks amazing! Did you say he's 80? I can't believe it. I bet he was thrilled. I wish we still had peaches. All I'm seeing now are apples and pears, but I bet this would be great with any fruit. Yum!

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