There’s no better recipe for fun in the summertime than going to the beach. Walking along the sandy shore, feeling the cool water on your toes, smelling the scent of the salty air on the breeze, and hearing the waves and gulls singing for joy….

There’s nothing like it.

Well,  I’m not able to get to the beach right now, so let’s change course.

Let’s talk, instead, about the second most fun thing to do in the summer (at least in my book.)

A trip to the farmer’s market, and then home to make something wonderful with all of the things that were purchased! I love the farmers market.

If you just like good food, regardless of where it’s purchased, that’s great, too. I have a recipe to share with you that is easy and really delicious. I love the way the tender, sweet cake contrasts with the warm, moist peaches and berries. I suggest adding a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream (if not homemade, perhaps you’ll be fortunate enough to have a container of Blue Bell homemade vanilla.  So cool, creamy and delicious!) You might also enjoy this warm and with a cup of coffee for breakfast, which is how we had it this morning at my house.

The blueberries and peaches in this recipe were purchased at the Tyler Farmers Market from Brandy from East Texas Peaches.  She’s super-nice and her fruit, grown in Winona, is delicious!

Try it out, and do your best not to eat the delicious batter! Oh my goodness, it’s incredible. I know we shouldn’t eat raw eggs, but I did and…let’s just say I contemplated not baking the cake at all, and just enjoying the batter.  😉

Her blueberries would also be perfect in this perfect blueberry muffin recipe; click this link to see it!

Mama Steph’s Blueberry Peach Coffee Cake

1 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla (or ¼ tsp almond extract, if you prefer, or a blend of both)

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups blueberries, rinsed, picked over and drained (thaw and drain first if using frozen berries)

1 small to medium sized peach, halved, pitted, and cut into slices

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Method:

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease and flour (or spray with Baker’s Joy) a 9-inch round cake pan, then line the bottom with parchment paper. Alternatively, use a 9-inch spring form pan, and grease and flour the inside of pan.

1.   In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of flour with baking powder and salt; set aside.

2.      Using a mixer, beat the butter on medium high speed for 2 minutes. Then add the sugar and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy, about a minute more.

3.  Add the eggs one at a time and beat until well blended. Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour, beating until smooth, but don’t over-beat. A minute should be adequate.

4.  Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.

5.    Combine the berries and peaches with a teaspoon of flour and the lemon juice in a bowl. Spread the fruit mixture over the top of the cake, arranging in a pretty fashion.

6.  Bake on middle rack in oven  at 350°F for about an hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

7.  Use a butter knife to slide around the edges of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Transfer the cake to a cake plate, berry side up.

Sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar before serving, or drizzle with a powdered sugar glaze, or even with maple or blueberry syrup at breakfast. It would also be perfect with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream for dessert!

Let me know how you like it; enjoy!

You might also like:

Mama Steph’s banana-peach breakfast bread

Rustic blueberry-peach galette

Luscious peach cobbler

Copyright 2012 Stephanie Hill-Frazier. All rights reserved.