Buttermilk Peach Morning Cake

Fresh fruit is one thing I’ve been able to tolerate throughout my pregnancy, even during the queasiness of the first trimester into the second trimester. Lately, the peaches and nectarines at my local grocery store have been wonderful, so I’ve been buying {and enjoying them} regularly.

I occasionally bake something special for breakfast like a coffee cake or sweet bread, and this time I wanted fresh peaches to be the star since I had a few on hand. I found a recipe for Buttermilk Blueberry Cake here and adapted it to create a peach version. It turned out wonderful and my home even smelled like a donut shop while it was baking in the oven!

I made the batter for this cake the night before and baked it in the morning, making for an easy morning breakfast treat. The peaches bring out the buttery flavor of this cake, and a light sprinkling of sugar over top gives it the perfect sweet finish.

I was short on vanilla extract so I searched my cupboard for almond extract only to find an empty bottle. I used the few drops of vanilla I had left and it still tasted wonderful, but next time I’m trying almond extract because I think it would be a nice compliment to the peaches.

As the name implies, this is a buttermilk based cake, but I rarely buy buttermilk unless I need a lot of it for something or for multiple recipes. Instead, I opt to create my own sour milk by simply mixing in a little vinegar with regular milk. I normally use apple cider vinegar, but white vinegar would work just fine too. It’s a simple way to achieve the same outcome, and a convenient option for me because I always have a gallon of milk in the fridge.

This is a fairly simple breakfast cake to make, and getting a head start on the batter the night before definitely saves time in the morning—but you can make and bake it all at once if you prefer. And did I mention how amazingly sweet my home smelled while it was baking?! Win-win.

Enjoy!

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Buttermilk Peach Morning Cake

{PRINT RECIPE}

Ingredients:

½ cup butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar (set aside 1 tablespoon for sprinkling)

1 egg, room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla (or almond extract)

2 cups all-purpose flour (set aside 1/4 cup to toss with the peaches)

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

2 cups fresh peaches, peeled and diced (about 2 large peaches)

½ cup buttermilk (or 2 teaspoons of vinegar + the rest regular milk)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Using a stand or hand mixer, cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add the egg and vanilla (or almond extract) and beat until combined.
3. Toss the peaches with ¼ cup of flour, then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt.
4. Add half of the flour mixture to the batter, and stir with a spatula to incorporate. Add the buttermilk. Stir. Add remaining flour, and stir until flour is incorporated. Fold in the peaches, being sure not to overmix.
5. Grease an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan (or something similar) with butter. Spread the batter into the pan. Note: at this point, you could cover the batter with plastic wrap, place in the fridge, and bake in the morning.
6. Sprinkle the batter with the remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. Check with a toothpick or cake tester for doneness. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

*Note about buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can make sour milk by mixing in 2 teaspoons of vinegar with regular milk.

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