Blackberry-Peach Coffee Cake

As you can imagine I've been busting my butt this week to get things baked with my freshly picked fruit. The peach muffins were fabulous. I made a peach bread that was only mediocre. I made freezer jam for the first time - what else, blackberry-peach flavor, and it's sooo good. And my friend Corey's wild berry bread is one of the best things to exist in this world - find it in this post from last year.

Calling this recipe "coffee cake" implies permission to eat it for breakfast, which I did this morning, though it is definitely decadent enough for a sophisticated dessert. Fruity, vanilla-y cake, crunch-spicy topping, and PLENTY of butter throughout - this cake is awesome!

One weird thing - a few minutes after I put it in the oven, I smelled burning. A little was leaking out of the bottom of the springform pan and dropping to the oven floor. The batter was plenty thick so I must have just not had the pan bottom in tight enough. I wrapped the bottom and halfway up the sides tightly in tin foil and it was fine after that.

It's super rich so I will be wrapping up slices for the freezer so we can enjoy it over time - nothing like a wedge of summer for a quick out-the-door breakfast or a slow I've-earned-this dessert.

Streusel Topping:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Cake:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups peeled and sliced firm fresh ripe peaches (about 2 to 3)
1 cup fresh blackberries
Powdered sugar
Garnishes: fresh blackberries, sliced peaches

1. Preheat oven to 350. Prepare streusel topping - beat butter at medium speed until creamy; gradually add sugars, beating well. Add flour, cinnamon and nutmeg; beat just until blended.

2. For cake, beat butter at medium speed until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until blended after each addition.

3. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Pour batter into greased and floured 9-inch springform pan; top with sliced peaches and blackberries.
Pinch off 1-inch pieces of streusel topping and drop over fruit.

4. Bake at 350 for 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes (I was checking every 5 minutes for awhile) until center of cake is set and toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack (about 1 1/2 hours). Dust with powdered sugar and garnish with fruit, optional.

*For Peach Coffee Cake variation, omit blackberries. Increase peaches to 3 cups sliced. Proceed with recipe as directed.



Recipe from Southern Living, June 2009