Peaches and Cream!

To celebrate "Frankie Day" this year, I was inspired to make a cake my grandmother would make on occasion for dessert. My brother always loved when grandma would make this cake. She would slice him a hefty piece or a "grandma slice" and he would sometimes go back for seconds. The cake though simple in its components of gold cake, fresh whipped cream and canned peaches, left a lasting impression on Frankie and I wanted to bring back those memories of the cake that he simply couldn't get enough of. Here is my recipe for a Peaches and Cream Cake...

For the cake
4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup, 2 sticks, unsalted butter at room temp
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 cup of buttermilk
1 cup whole milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two 9 inch round cake pans with cooking spray or butter and flour. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time. Slowly add the buttermilk and then the whole milk. Add the dry ingredients slowly and mix until just incorporated. Spread the batter evenly between the two pans. Bake until golden about 30-35 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely on a rack before frosting or filling.

For the vanilla cream
1 1/2 teaspoons corn starch
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup whole milk
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon unsalted butter

In a small saucepan combine the corn starch and sugar. Whisk in the milk and put the burner on medium heat. Stirring constantly, cook the mixture until thickened. Shut the burner off and add some of the hot liquid into the egg yolk to temper it. When tempered, add the yolk to the mix and put the burner back on medium. Cook until the cream has bubbled. Fold in vanilla extract and the butter. Pour into a heat proof bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Be sure to to place the plastic wrap directly on the vanilla cream. Place in the fridge and cool completely.

For the whipped cream
2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

In the bowl of a stand mixer, begin to beat the heavy cream. Add the vanilla ad then the confectioner's sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form.

*You will also need 1 large can of sliced peaches. Drained with half kept whole and half diced. Fold the diced peaches into the vanilla cream, as this will be the filling between the two cake layers. With a serrated knife, cut the cake layers so they have a level top. I like to use cardboard cake rounds to put my cakes on, but if you don't have those at home, place the bottom layer of cake onto your cake plate. Starting in the middle, scoop the vanilla cream onto the cake. Spread evenly around the layer, leaving a 1/4 inch rim as the the cream will spread when the top layer is placed on it. When all the vanilla cream is used, carefully place the top layer, making sure to keep the cake even. I like to give it a little smoosh down, to make sure it is on good. Again, start in the middle of the cake and put a good amount of whipped cream. Using and offset spatula spread the whipped cream over the top of the cake. For this cake, I leave the sides bare because that's the way grandma did it, bit if you want a fully frosted cake, by all means spread the whipped cream all over the cake. You can also use a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and do all sorts of fancy decorations on the cake, be creative. Top the cake with the sliced peaches and refrigerate. Take the cake out of the fridge an hour before serving to bring it to room temp. Enjoy!