Baking for the Weekend

I have been in the mood to do some more baking from my King Arthur Whole Grain Baking cookbook, so I thought I would try out a recipe for this weekend. I decided on the Peach Coffeecake since peaches are still in season and I happen to have some that are ripe and ready to be eaten!

To make the coffeecake you cream the butter and sugar together which gave me an opportunity to use my Kitchen Aid mixer which is always super fun! You then add the egg and mix until it is combined. In a separate bowl you add the white whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, salt, and baking soda and whisk it together. While mixing you add the flour mixture by thirds alternating with the buttermilk (I used non-fat). Once everything is incorporated you add the vanilla extract. Then carefully fold in two cups (I used a little more because I love peaches) of peeled sliced peaches to the batter. In a smaller bowl you make the topping by combing butter, flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Then add the batter to greased baking pans and add the topping. I used two round baking dishes, but you can also use one larger rectangular dish. These bake at 350 for about 30 minutes until a tooth pick comes out clean. Then let them cool on a wire rack.

I made the coffeecakes last night, so they would be ready to be eaten this weekend. Since it made two and we decided to share the other one with Russ' grandparents. First, we had to do a taste test this morning to make sure they were tasty enough to share with his grandparents and a little to my parents too. Russ and I both loved them! It was very moist with the right amount of peaches and the topping added fantastic flavor with the cinnamon. It was just sweet enough for breakfast without being overly sweet. Since is passed our taste test we’ll definitely be sharing it with his grandparents this weekend. Russ rates the coffeecake a 10 which surprised me since he is still skeptical of my baking with whole grains. Maybe he is starting to come around to liking whole grains….

Peach Coffeecake, King Arthur Whole Grain Baking

Yield: Two 9 inch round coffeecakes or one 9x13-inch cake, 24 servings
Baking time: 25 to 30 minutes for rounds, 30 to 35 minutes for 9x13-inch cake

Cake:
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups peeled, diced fresh peaches, or if frozen thawed

Topping:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round pans or one 9x13-inch pan.

To make the cake: Whisk together the flours, baking soda and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Beat in the egg, stopping afterward to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the dry ingredients, one third at a time, alternately with the buttermilk. Add the vanilla. Stir in the peaches until evenly distributed. Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s).

To make the topping: Combine the softened butter, sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a small mixing bowl until evenly mixed. Sprinkle this mixture over the batter. Bake according to pan size, until the top is golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for at least 20 minutes before serving.