summer peaches = peach cake!

August means peaches from the farm stand. Peaches mean peach cake. And while peach cake is definitely a family tradition, the opinions abound as to which way is "best"...we had quite a discussion on Sunday at a family get-together complete with my 4, my parents, my mom's 3 siblings and their spouses, and my two cousins.  Which is best? Is it the thick chewy crust? The thin crust? The spongy cake? Peaches laid out in neat rows? Peaches scattered willy-nilly? Well, it turns out, there is no one best way! Or rather, we each have our favorites, and will continue to make our own variations. 

My favorite? A light, spongy, oh-so-buttery recipe that I adapted from one I got from my friend Leslie. Start with peaches, peeled and sliced thin into bite-sized pieces:

I use about 3 cups of slices, or as many as I can fit onto the cake!  Here's the rest of the recipe:

• Preheat the oven to 350 F and place 1 stick unsalted butter in a 13x9 baking dish, and place in oven to melt the butter.
• Meanwhile, mix together:  1 1/3 cups flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt.
• Mix in 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup milk.  Mixture will start to bubble...this is good!
• Remove the hot dish from the oven once butter is melted, and pour in the batter, swirling the melted butter in a little bit so it doesn't all pool at the edges.
• Drop the pieces of peach on top one by one until you have filled every little space!
• Bake about 40 minutes, or until puffed up, golden brown, and set.
• Serve with vanilla ice cream, preferably while cake is still warm. OK for breakfast the next day too!

 Hope you are enjoying your summer produce!