TWD::Almond Peach Upside-Downer

For this week's Tuesdays With Dorie recipe, Sabrina of Superfluous chose Dorie's Cranberry Upside-Downer.  I love cranberries, but since it's still technically summer, I have SO many other fruits around that need using up before they go bad.  That's why I changed it up a bit and used peaches.  Freshly picked by yours truly I might add!  I also swapped out the pecans for almonds (will toast them next time for added flavor and better presentation) and used almond extract instead of the vanilla, and homemade peach jam infused with butter and a touch of vanilla pureed to give it a syrup consistency for the glaze. 

All in all, this cake was a complete HOME RUN!  No kidding! I mean, the batter itself was delicious!  Yes, I'm still one of "those" people that can't resist licking the beater.  Hey!  The taste of the batter is a great indication of how delicious or not the finished product will be..right!?  The smell of the cinnamon, peaches and almond wafted throughout the whole house and started our drooling early.  It was all I could do to be patient and take a couple of decent pictures just so I could dive right on in.  I have to say...you won't be disappointed with this one.  Not in the least....well that is if you make the changes I did.  I can't attest to the original version, but this way was pure heaven!  My husband and kids DEVOURED every last piece.  Even kept telling me how good it was while they were devouring it.  Yes.  This one will be made again.  For certain!  Especially since it was such a breeze to throw together.  5 min of mixing ingredients and you're done and 45 min of baking and you've got a finished product that tastes like you slaved for hours.  Don't mind all the butter...you deserve it.  Go make this recipe for yourself...you can thank me later.

To see what the other TWD Bakers did with their recipe this week, check out the TWD Blogroll.

{Cranberry Upside-Downer Recipe}

A Mouse of a Cake

This year my youngest turned 3.  He really wanted a soccer ball cake until we made a trip to "Wal-martian" for some groceries.  Once he saw the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse "stuff" he was sold and I was now making a Mickey Mouse cake.  I didn't decorate his cake too fancy only using sprinkles we found in the party isle, but I did make it a fancy flavor cake!  The Head was peaches and cream and the ears were chocolate vanilla. The whole cake was covered with Cream Cheese frosting.  YUM-o!

I used my 8" Wilton cake pans for the large head part and the smaller 4" Wilton cake pans for the ears and just trimmed them down a touch.

First the chocolate vanilla cake.  I used a box of cake mix and made it according to directions except one thing.  I substituted real mayonnaise for the oil.  It is AMAZING how moist your cake will turn out if you do this...and you don't taste the mayo at all...just the incredibly moist chocolate cake!  Then, for the vanilla, I used a box pudding.  French vanilla, not sugar-free, and made it according to the pie filling directions for extra thickness. 

For the peaches and cream cake I used this recipe from my favorite baking book:

Perfect Party Cake
From Dorie Greenspan’s “Baking: From My Home to Yours”
Makes 12 to 14 servings
For the Cake

• 2 1/4 cups cake flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk or buttermilk (I used whole milk)
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (I omitted)
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon pure lemon extract (I substituted with one vanilla bean)

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9-x-2-inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with a round of buttered parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.
To Make The Cake: Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl.
Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the butter and, working with the paddle or  whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light. Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and eggs, beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients. Finally, give the batter a good 2-minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated. Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the tough – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean. Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unmold them and peel off the paper liners. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up. (The cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to 2 months.)

Peachy Fruit Filling
Yield 5 cups 

• 2-16oz. packages frozen, sliced peaches, Thawed (or your fruit of choice...I've also used raspberries with fantastic results!!!)
• 2 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. butter
• 1/4 c. lemon juice
• 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
• 1/3 c. cold water
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla

Cook 1st 4 ingredients in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring often about 30 min.  Let cool slightly. 
 Sprinkle gelatin over 1/3 c. water in small saucepan; let stand 1 min. Cook over low heat, stirring until gelatin dissolves, about 2 min.
Process peach mixture in blender or food processor until smooth.  Stopping to scrape sides down.  Stir in gelatin mix & vanilla.   Cover & chill 8 hours.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 2 (8 ounce) pkgs. cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 c. butter, softened
• 7 c. powdered sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract (I actually subbed another vanilla bean here)

Beat all ingredients together, adding 1c. of powdered sugar at a time, until well blended and light and fluffy.

Bear's Peach Cobbler

I had a seriously large amount of surplus peaches this past week, so made some jam, and then since we were going on a family reunion to a cabin in Heber City, UT, I brought more peaches and made a cobbler.  I pulled out my book "The Sweet Melissa Baking Book" by Melissa Murphy and decided to use the recipe for Bear's Peach Cobbler.  The dough called for lemon zest and to be rolled and cut into biscuit shapes.  This intrigued me quite a bit.  


I have to say I absolutely positively LOVED this recipe!  The lemon zest in the biscuits is INCREDIBLE!  I {HEART} lemon zest flavors though.  I can't say the dough was easy since I had taken my mobile pantry with me and didn't have room to bring my food processor to do the manual labor.  Though, next time I'll use it and it will  whip up in a cinch!  Really, the only time consuming part was the blanching and peeling of the peaches.  Which I just prefer to do.  You don't even need to peel the peaches unless you want to.  


I did make a couple of changes to the recipe.  I used salted butter instead of unsalted.  Mainly because I forgot my unsalted at home and didn't want the dough to be too salty.  I also baked it in a 9x13 pan and doubled the cobbler topping...A MUST if you're a topping lover like me!
 
Bear’s Peach Cobbler
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients for the cobbler topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (I omitted because I forgot my unsalted butter and used salted instead)
2 tablespoons sugar plus 1 1/2 teaspoons for sprinkling
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon whole milk or heavy cream, for glazing
Ingredients for the peach filling:
6 cups peeled, sliced, ripe peaches (bout 3 1/2 pounds)
Juice of 1 lemon
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, 2 tablespoons sugar, and zest. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until it resembles a coarse meal. Little by little stir in the heavy cream until dough starts to hold together (a bit more cream may be used if needed).
2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Pat dough together to form a round about 1/2-inch thick. Using a lightly floured 2 1/2-inch round biscuit cutter (I just a heart cookie cutter) to cut the dough into 7 to 8 biscuits. 

3. Place biscuits on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or aluminum foil and refrigerate loosely covered with plastic wrap, while you make the filling or until you are ready to use.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and butter a 2-quart ovenproof deep-dish pan. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or foil.
5. To make the filling, stir together peach slices, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon in a large bowl.


Pour peach mixture into prepared dish.

Place the biscuits evenly on top of the peach mixture and brush with milk. Sprinkle with remaining sugar.  

6. Place dish on the lined cookie sheet and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until biscuits are cooked through. Remove to a wire rack to cool before serving. This cobbler should be eaten the day it is baked. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.  

Fresh Peach Cobbler

Peach Cobbler...in an oven, you say!? YES! I know it goes against all that I have known a peach cobbler to be. As a youngster, I remember dutch oven cooking on campouts and the BEST EVER peach cobblers, cooked in a dutch oven. Fast forward many years and you get me, Lisa. Lover of all baked foods! And, well, while this one wasn't cooked in a dutch oven and doesn't have that special smoky touch from the charcoals, this version does rank right up there with the best!

Normally I use canned peaches because, lets face it, as a mom of two kids, it's easier. But, alas (boy do I use a lot of commas!), I'm turning over a "new leaf". I have always LOVED baking and cooking and such, but now I really want to dive right on in! So, hold onto your shorts, 'cause Gourmified fans....HERE I COME! Okay, okay, off my soap box. Back to peaches. I love getting fresh yummy produce at a great price, so as member of a produce co-op I decided this time around to get the big 27-lb box of California peaches! I had all kinds of grand-e-oso plans of what I wanted to do with this gigantic box of peaches. Canning, jams & jellies, homemade ice cream, eating, etc. Of all these, eating was the only one that took place. We LOVE peaches! I did manage to save a few to make this Peach cobbler, and I'm so glad I did! My friend Holly (a.k.a. Phe/Mom/enon) pointed me in the direction of this recipe from Epicurious. Can I just say FANTASTIC!

At Holly's suggestion, I made the topping recipe at 1 1/2 times the amount listed instead of just a single batch. The peaches were delicious, though next time I make this I'll be adding a little bit of cinnamon to the peach mix since I feel it needed just a little something more. I also sprinkled sugar on top of the dough before putting it in the oven because, really, sugar is oh so yummy and I LOVE the look it gives the finished product!