Now that Thanksgiving is over and you've eaten up all the leftover pies, why not try something that's an usual fall dessert? Fall Peach Cake is easy enough to make on a weeknight, light tasting, and full of sweet, juicy peaches. It's the perfect alternative to the rich dessert you probably had last week. No, you don't have to have fresh peaches. In fact, the ones from a large can work just fine and actually bake better than the fresh ones. So this cake is great for an out-of-season "peach urge." A light batter is crowned with peaches, baked, and then drizzled with a spiced glaze. I use rum extract in my glaze, which complements the sweet peaches and gives a wonderful buttery note to the dessert, but you can substitute vanilla extract, if you'd prefer.
Fall Peach Cake -- Serves 8
1/2 cup of fat-free plain yogurt
1/2 cup of canola oil
3/4 cup of sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 teaspoon of butter flavoring
1 1/2 cups of flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt1 large can (28-30 ounces) of sliced peaches, drained but reserve the juice
1/2 cup of pecan halves (or chopped, if you'd prefer)
Glaze
3/4 cup of powdered sugar
1/4 cup of the reserved peach juice (save the rest for something else)
1 teaspoon of rum extract
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of allspice
1 teaspoon of butter (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spritz an 8- or 9-inch spring-form pan with non-stick cooking spray, line it with parchment (optional, but it works better), and spritz the parchment with the non-stick spray. In a large bowl, whisk together well the yogurt, oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and butter flavoring. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Arrange the drained peaches on top of the batter in circular patterns. Just focus on covering the batter evenly. You don't need to be too artsy, as the peaches will sink into the batter and not show much. Sprinkle on the nuts. Bake the cake for 40-50 minutes or until a pick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs. In a microwave-safe bowl or measure, combine all the glaze ingredients. Microwave the glaze for about 2 minutes, stirring it every 15-30 seconds, until it boils. Pour the hot glaze over the warm cake. Let the cake cool for about 20 minutes before removing the sides of the pan. Serve the cake warm or at room temperature.
