Peach Olive Oil Cake

If you’re a chile fan, and you haven’t entered my Hatch Chile giveaway, you’re in luck! There’s still time to win a cookbook and plenty of chile goodness.  Just head on over here for all the details and a great Hatch chile recipe.

And now for today’s recipe:

In case you haven’t been able to tell, I’m a huge peach fan.  I’m one of those people that counts down the days until peach season hits.  Then once it hits, I’m at the farmer’s market at least once a week searching for the sweetest varieties. I even accost the vendors to find out when my favorites will hit their stands. Did you know there are over 2000 different kinds? And while a lot of people prefer the sweet flavor of the white peaches, I like the yellow because they’re just a little more tart and I need a little tart with my sweet.

With so many yellow peaches to choose from, I’ve come to discover my favorite varieties are absolutely the Lady peaches. What are the ladies? There are four that are specific to California: the Crimson Lady, Elegant Lady, Rich Lady and Zee Lady. I love the Elegant Ladies, but the other three are just as sweet. Plus, as an added benefit once one is done, another is available within a week or two because they’re harvests are all summer long starting in Late May and going until the end of July. It’s true, once the ladies are gone I’m forced to make due with other varieties which while juicy and sweet, don’t compare to my four favorite women.

But no matter what kind of peach you use for this cake it actually isn’t the peaches that make it one of the best cakes ever. Don’t get me wrong, the peaches give it a fruity flavor that’s hard to pass up, but what makes this cake especially fantastic is the olive oil. Not only does it make the cake healthier (there’s no butter), it moistens up this morsel so that it practically melts in your mouth. You can eat it straight out of the pan or add a dollop of vanilla yogurt for a little extra tang. But no matter which way you choose to indulge or which peach variety you want to use, this is one cake that’s absolutely perfect for the summer.

Peach Olive Oil Cake

Ingredients:

• 3 peaches, sliced
• 1-1/2 cups olive oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13 baking pan and set aside.
2. Place the peaches, 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1/4 cup of sugar and the salt in a large bowl. Toss the peaches to coat and let stand until juicy, about 10 minutes.
3. While the peaches marinate, whisk together the flours, baking powder and baking soda in a small bowl; set aside.
4. In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, remaining sugar and remaining olive oil. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture until its just combined. Fold in the peach mixture.
5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick, when inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for at least 10 minutes and serve.