lavender peach cornmeal cake. homemade sweets.

Is there a more succulent symbol of summertime than the over-juicy peach ripening in the August heat? Sticky sweet juice runs down chins so much that it makes you hunch over crooked to eat them on the grass. This is the peak of summer, when the grass is golden and crisp and the fruit hangs low and juicy. Fruit is the savior of summer, as the temperature runs high. For me, there is no exception for making a dessert without this abundant fruit. 

And here in my house, we have boxes of fresh peaches from a local and organic U-Pick farm. When we aren't growing much of our own fruit, u-pick is the next best thing. Yes, you may throw down $40-80 on buckets of cherries, or boxes of peaches, but when you store them correctly, it is so worth it. When we gather pounds and pounds of this fruit, all other projects stop, and we focus on freezing, canning, and gorging on the fresh, perishable fruit. This fruit is not like the fruit at the store that travels far and sits on the shelf without bruising or browning. This is picked when it is ripe, and needs to be dealt with quickly. I like to make many different types of food with the fresh fruit while we have it, from sweet to savory versions. 

With the peaches, I love making pie of course, as well as peach salsa, ginger peach butter, and peach cobbler. This recipe for lavender peach cornmeal cake adds some fun texture and herbal flavor to a fruit dessert. It was tough to decide between using lavender or rosemary to accompany the peaches in this dessert, and I think both are delicious. This recipe utilizes lavender, but you could omit the herbs all together, or try using other herbs or spices like thyme or cinnamon. Serve it for dessert with ice cream, and then eat it for breakfast with morning coffee or tea, and with another fresh peach of course. Savor the flavor of summer and gorge on some juicy peaches. 

Lavender Peach Cornmeal Cake


Ingredients:

1 stick (1/2 cup) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sucanat, or other unrefined sugar
3 medium ripe peaches (about 1 1/4 pounds), skins on, pitted, and cut into 3/4-inch wedges
1 cup coarse yellow cornmeal or polenta
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons chopped fresh lavender, or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried lavender
1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk or cream


Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet (or pie pan) over medium heat, using a pastry brush to coat sides with butter as it melts.

Whisk cornmeal, flour, baking powder, lavender, and salt in a medium bowl. In another bowl, beat remaining stick of butter and 3/4 cup sugar with a mixer or by hand, until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl. Mix in vanilla and milk. Mix in cornmeal mixture until incorporated.

Pour batter on prepared cast iron (or pie pan) and spread evenly. Arrange peaches in a circle at edge of skillet. Arrange the remaining wedges in the center to fill. Bake until golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 22 minutes. Transfer skillet to a wire rack, and let stand for 10 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.