Summer Peach Delight Pound Cake

Summer Peach Delight Pound Cake is a dense, yet tender cake loaded with fresh peaches and drizzled with a light glaze. This delightful dessert is perfect for capturing the essence of summer in every slice.

Key Ingredients and Their Roles

• Room Temperature Ingredients: Utilizing room-temperature butter, eggs, and sour cream is crucial for a smooth batter and ideal cake texture.
• Sour Cream: This ingredient ensures the pound cake is moist and tender, giving it a delicate crumb.

Using Alternative Peach Options

While fresh peaches are preferred for their flavor and texture, you can also use frozen or canned peaches if fresh aren’t available. If using frozen peaches, add them directly to the batter without thawing to avoid excess moisture. For canned peaches, ensure they are thoroughly drained.

Preparing Your Peaches

To prepare peaches for the cake, they need to be peeled, pitted, and diced. You can peel peaches with a knife or if they are very ripe, blanch them for easy peeling. To blanch, immerse peaches in boiling water briefly, then transfer them to ice water. The skin should peel off easily.

Storing and Freezing Your Pound Cake

To maintain freshness, wrap the pound cake in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to three days. If refrigerating, it can last up to five days. For freezing, wrap the cake securely in plastic and then aluminum foil, and it will keep for up to three months.

Ingredients

Cake:

• 1½ cups (340 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 cups (600 g) granulated sugar
• 6 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup (230 g) sour cream
• 3 fresh peaches, peeled, pitted, and diced (approx. 2 cups)

Glaze:

• 1½ cup (188 g) confectioners’ sugar
• 1-3 tablespoons milk or cream

Instructions

Cake Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 10-inch bundt pan with nonstick spray; ensure the pan is deep enough to hold the batter.
2. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter until smooth. Gradually add sugar and continue beating until the mixture is light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Mix in vanilla extract, scraping down the bowl occasionally.
4. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Gradually add this to the creamed mixture, alternating with sour cream, starting and ending with the flour mixture.
5. Gently fold in diced peaches by hand.
6. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, filling it three-quarters full. Bake for 80-90 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean with no wet batter.
7. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Glaze Preparation:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together confectioners’ sugar and milk, starting with one tablespoon of milk and adding more as needed to achieve a pourable consistency.
2. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake.

Serve this luxurious Summer Peach Delight Pound Cake as a splendid end to a summer meal or a delightful treat with afternoon tea.