Peach Bourbon Upside Down Cake

Lovey likes to go through my magazines as they arrive and select a dessert for me to try.  This turned out to be a nice cake and a way to use some peaches I had that needed to be used before they went bad on me.

Like any upside down cake the fruit is placed in the bottom of the pan with a butter/sugar mixture then the batter is poured on top.  This is how the fruit looks when first turned out of the pan.

It's a dense cake, almost like a pound cake, so the light glaze was a nice compliment. 

 

 We ate most of it as a breakfast cake.

Peach Bourbon Upside Down Cake
From June 2018 issue of Southern Living
Serves 12

Ingredients: 
1-3/4 cups butter, softened, divided
2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar, divided
4 peaches, peeled and cut into 4 slices
1 - 8 ounce pkg cream cheese, softened
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
6 large eggs
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, divided
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup (2 ounces) bourbon
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 to 2 Tbsp. milk

Method:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Melt 1/4 cup of the butter in a small saucepan over medium, stir in 1/2 cup of the brown sugar. Cook, whisking constantly, until sugar has dissolved and mixture is thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Pour mixture evenly into a 15-cup (10-1/2 inch) Bundt pan that has been heavily greased with cooking spray. Place peach slices in an even layer on top of brown sugar mixture.

Beat cream cheese and remaining 1-1/2 cups butter with a heavy-duty stand mixer on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Gradually add granulated sugar and remaining 1-1/2 cups  brown sugar, beating on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yolk disappears. Beat in 1 tsp. of the vanilla.

Sift together flour and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with bourbon, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Spoon batter carefully over peaches in prepared pan; level with a spatula.

Bake in preheated oven until a long wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 1 hour and 25 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack until pan is cool enough to handle but still hot, about 25 minutes. Remove cake from pan to rack, and cool completely, about 2 hours.

Stir together confectioner's sugar, remaining 1/2 tsp. vanilla, and 1 Tbsp. of the milk in a small bowl, adding remaining 1 Tbsp. milk, 1 tsp at a time, if needed to reach desired consistency. Drizzle over cooled cake. 

Southern Peach Cobbler

 When I selected my peaches at the market, they were perfectly shaped, colored and ripe .  When I leave the market I hand the sacker-boy my bag of hand selected peaches and ask him to pack separately with care which translates "Don't throw them into a bag. I would like to get home with fruit that's not bruised."  What did he do?  He placed them in their own private bag and literally tossed them in the cart. Oh well....

This is a very simple recipe to prepare.   

Peel and slice your peaches.
Place stick of butter in a 9-1/2" x 11" baking dish and place in a preheated  350°F oven.

Mix the batter in a large measuring cup.  Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, milk, and sugar.  Remove baking pan from oven and pour the batter into the  baking dish.  Yes, you are an observant individual....I did not take a photo of the batter.
 

Gently place the peaches on top of the batter.  Place in the oven for about 30 minutes and this is what will emerge.

 

See how the batter gently folded over the peach slices? Pure deliciousness. Especially with vanilla ice cream 

Peach Cobbler
Adapted from Nathalie Dupree's "New Southern Cooking" 
Serves 6 - 8

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup all purpose flour, preferably soft-wheat
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
2 cups peaches, peeled and sliced, juices reserved

Method:
Preheat oven to 350° F.

Put the butter in a 9-by-13-inch ovenproof serving dish and place in the oven to melt.  

Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and stir in the milk and sugar to make a batter.  Remove the hot dish with the melted butter from the oven and pour in the batter.  Spoon the peaches and then the peaches over the batter.  Place the dish back in the oven and bake until the batter is browned and has risen up and around the fruit, about 30 minutes.

Iced Peach Tea

Perfect for a hot summer day; picnic or tea party.  You'll love this even if you don't take your tea sweet.  Papa and I have enjoyed this refreshing quaf the past couple of days while sitting in the shade on the back porch.

August is my favorite peach month.  The peaches are sweeter and you can easily find freestone peaches.  Clingstone are fine to eat out of hand but extremely frustrating when you cook with them and have to slice them up.

Since this is made with fresh fruit you will want to drink it within a day or two.

Iced Peach Tea
Makes approximately 2 quarts

Ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
9-1/2 cups water, divided
3 large fresh peaches
2 - one quart tea bags

Method:
In a medium saucepan combine the sugar and 1-1/2 cups of the water.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.

Wash peaches and slice (keep skin on).  Add peach slices to boiling sugar water.  Lower heat and simmer for 40 minutes.

Boil remaining 8 cups water and add tea bags to make 2 quarts tea; set aside.

 Pureé the peach mixture in a blender until smooth.  Press through a fine mesh strainer.

Add 1-1/2 quarts of the black tea to the peach pureé.  Stir and if you want the tea thinner you can add more of the tea; purely a personal preference.

Place in refrigerator until cold.  Give the tea a stir prior to pouring over a glass of ice.  Garnish with a mint leaf or a thin slice of peach.

Pesche al vino bianco

Pink was the theme this week at I Heart Cooking Clubs.  Out of the two Tessa Kiros books I own, I struggled with what to make that was pink. 

I settled on Peaches in white wine from Tessa's Twelve cookbook, with the hopes that the white wine would take on a pinkish color from the peaches.  Didn't happen.

Failing didn't get me down once I tasted this, in Tessa's words, "...very simple, refreshing dessert..".  I will be bringing this one back in the hot days of summer.

 All you do with this recipe is place peeled peaches (or nectarines) in a bowl with castor sugar and let macerate in the refrigerator.

After about an hour, pour in your white wine and put back in the refrigerator to chill.

Pesche al vino bianco - Peaches in White Wine

Ingredients:

8 medium sized, ripe, firm peaches, peeled

10-1/2 ounces castor (superfine) sugar

2 cups chilled white wine (I used a Pinot Grigio)

Mise en Place:

• Peel peaches and slice
• measure out sugar and wine

Method:

If you can halve the peaches and remove the stone without squashing the peaches before slicing them, then do so (best to use freestone peaches for this).  If the peaches are a little soft, cut thick slices toward the stone, then cut those slices away from the stone.  Put the slices into a bowl and sprinkle with the sugar.  Cover and leave in the fridge to macerate for at least an hour or so.

Add the wine, gently toss the peaches and return to the fridge for another 15 minutes before eating the peaches and drinking the remaining wine.

I'm sharing this over at IHCC