Baltimore Peach Cake

Sharon, this one's for you:

A high school friend of mine ( Sharon) was originally from Baltimore, Maryland.
She shared this recipe, so I decided to post it on my blog.
This is definitely a cake that I'll be making and adding to my favorites.

Here are two recipes for Baltimore Peach Cake:

Baltimore Peach Cake Recipe..."this tastes just like the ones we used to get from Catonsville Bakery long ago. I make it every peach season."  "Yum."  (From a Baltimore Friend on our Baltimore Memories,  Facebook Page)

1¾ C white flour, divided, (bread flour recommended)
¼ C sugar + additional for sprinkling the dough.
½ tsp salt
1 package active dry yeast
2 TBS butter, softened
½ C hot water
1 egg
¼ C seedless raspberry jam
Sliced fresh peaches, about 5.

1. In a large bowl, combine ½ C flour, sugar, salt and undissolved yeast. Add butter and beat for a few seconds on medium speed.

2. Gradually add hot water and beat for 2 minutes on medium speed, scraping sides of bowl. Add egg and ½ C flour, and beat on high speed for 2 minutes, scraping down sides of the bowl.

3. Mix in remaining ¾ C flour, mixing until smooth and elastic. Roll into ball, let rest for 5 minutes, spread in bottom and up the sides of a cookie sheet or 9x13 pan. Let rise until doubled in volume, about an hour. Meanwhile, peel and slice peaches.

4. Press dough down a little and spread with raspberry jam. Assemble peaches on top of dough, sprinkle with about ¼ C. sugar. Top can be glazed with a little melted peach or apricot jam if desired.

5. Bake at 350° until dough is done and edges are browned, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if you like.



Baltimore Peach Cake #2:

Makes 2 - 9" round cakes or one sheet pan -  12”x17”.

1 package yeast (fresh or dry)
1/2 C warm water
1 tsp plus 1/4 C granulated sugar, divided
3 1/4 C flour, divided
3/4 C milk,room temperature
1/4 C plus 1 TBS unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 TBS vegetable oil

7 peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced
1/2 C brown sugar
1 TBS unsalted butter
1 TBS cornstarch
1/2 C  of Bonne Maman peach or apricot preserves

1. Make a sponge first by dissolving the yeast in 1/2 C warm water in a mixing bowl, with an electric hand mixer, mix well.. Add 1 C flour and 1 tsp of granulated sugar. Mix well on low speed until incorporated, about a minute. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow sponge to rise for about 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.

3. Stir the yeast mixture again. It should be smooth and silky. Add it to  the remaining sugar, salt, 1/4 C softened butter, milk, and 1 C flour, in a stand  mixer with a paddle attachment, Mix well, incorporating the remaining 1 1/4 cups of flour on low speed. 

4. Knead the dough in the mixer using the paddle attachment, for about 3 minutes.

5. Put light coating of vegetable oil on sides and bottom of a 2-quart bowl, place dough in bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm draft free place until double its original size. At this point, the mixture should be the consistency of wet puffy bread dough. In the mean time in a small bowl, combine brown sugar, butter, and cornstarch and set aside (this mixture does not have to be well mixed—the butter can remain in chunks).

6. Butter the cake pans or sheet pan and line bottom with parchment paper. ( I butter the paper too). I also have a Pan release mix that I use and the recipe is available on the Blog)  Stir dough to deflate. Divide dough in half with dough cutter if using the cake pans. Using a rolling pin and some flour, roll the dough into the shape of the pan but it should be slightly smaller than the pan. Place one in each pan. Arrange slices of peaches on top of dough in nice, neat concentric circles.

7. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over peaches, cover pan with plastic wrap and allow cake to rise for about 30 minutes in a warm place.

8. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and arrange rack to the middle of the oven

9. When dough has risen to almost double in size, remove plastic wrap and bake peach cake in the middle of the oven. Reduce the heat to 350 and bake for about 35 minutes.

10. Heat apricot or peach preserves in a saucepan. Using a pastry brush, coat the entire top of peach cake while it is still hot from the oven.  

Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack for 10 minutes.

Serve with Vanilla Ice Cream, Whipped Cream, Clotted Cream or a dusting pf Confectioner's Sugar.

Enjoy!

Peace in the Kitchen!