Peach-thyme pound cake

by

Serves 12–16

3 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

6 large eggs, room temperature

2 tablespoons almond extract

½ cup sour cream

2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

2 cups peeled and diced peaches

Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with baking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter until it is a pale yellow. Add sugar and continue beating until thoroughly mixed. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition. Add almond extract. Add the flour mixture, one cup at a time, alternating with the sour cream. Fold in the thyme and peaches.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a cake tester, when inserted into the middle of the cake, comes out clean. Let cake cool for 15 minutes in the pan; then invert onto a wire rack and let cool completely. Dust with confectioner’s sugar, if desired.

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Tips and techniques

Frozen can be as good as fresh

If you want to enjoy the experience of biting into a “fresh” peach in the dead of winter, or want the flavor and consistency of fresh peaches in sweet or savory recipes year-round, frozen peaches are a fantastic option. When you thaw them, it’s just like biting into a fresh peach—they taste just like peaches picked off the tree. Here’s how to freeze them at home.

Line sheet pans (as many as you need to hold your peaches and will fit in your freezer) with parchment paper. Peel peaches (or not) and slice, quarter or halve. Sprinkle with freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Spread on sheet pans. Put in freezer and allow peaches to harden—at least 4 hours or more. Remove from freezer. Seal peaches in Ziploc or vacuum-sealed bags and return to freezer. If you use a Ziploc bag, the peaches should be consumed within one year. Peaches in vacuum-sealed bags can last up to three years.

For baking, do not thaw the peaches—use in the frozen state. To eat or use in cooked dishes, thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Peeling made easy

It doesn’t surprise me that “Give peaches the slip” is one of my most popular how-to cooking videos. This time-saving trick takes all the hassle out of peeling ripe peaches for canning, cooking, eating and baking.

Bring a pot of water to a low boil. Use a knife to score (cut an “x”) into the bottom point of each peach, then place the peaches into the hot water for about one minute. Remove peaches from the water with a slotted spoon and place them into an ice bath. When the peaches are cool enough to handle, you’ll be able to slide the peels off with your fingers in a matter of seconds.

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Related story

Everything’s Just Peachy—Enjoy six delicious dessert recipes from Chef Belinda Smith-Sullivan’s first cookbook, Just Peachy.