Peach-Pecan Snacking Cake
Andrea Potischman
Sep 1, 2021
In the United States, Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers. What it has also come to represent is a long weekend in September that unofficially marks the end of summer. As a kid raised don the East Coast, this meant the last hurrah before the new school year began. Although I have been on the West Coast for many years, and my boys have been in school for a few weeks already, to me, Labor Day still represents this seasonal transition.
This beauty is my peach-pecan snacking cake or as I like to refer to it, my seasonal transition cake. The fusion of summer peaches mixed with flavors of fall like pecans and cinnamon, helps ease me out of summer and into the next season.
I’ll be honest, this cake is as simple as it gets, but it’s also memorable. Baked in a standard square baking pan, the nut topping gets sprinkled in the middle and tossed on top right before it is placed in the oven, there is truthfully no way to mess it up. And unlike many of my other cakes, there is no trimming or frosting required.
Snacking Cake Defined
This tasty little cake falls within the “snacking cake” category. But what exactly does that mean? “Snacking cake” is a term with some slight discrepancies. Some think it means a cake with simple ingredients, one bowl of mixing, or any cake that is cut into small squares and served with a cold glass of milk. Others believe “snacking cake” refers to a more informal cake, always made in a square pan, and served alongside tea or coffee for an afternoon treat.
Snacking Cake To Me
For me, snacking cakes are just simpler cakes with little to no icing and they are often lighter and more airy than a bar, brownie, or blondie. I believe snacking cakes are made to be picked up with your hands and are good any time of day. My frosted banana cake and hummingbird cake also qualify as snacking cakes because of their overall simplicity, but they require a plate and fork to eat.
However you celebrate Labor Day, be safe and let this simple, peach-pecan snacking cake be part of your festivities. And trust me, you won’t regret it.
Peach-Pecan Snacking Cake
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
- 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 5 small, ripe peaches, skin on pitted, and thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil an 8x8-inch square baking pan. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, such as a KitchenAid, fitted with a paddle attachment, add the butter and 1 cup of the sugar and beat on high till light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the sour cream and vanilla. Mix well to incorporate.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture and mix to blend. Be careful not to over mix.
- Using the same bowl, add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the cinnamon and place near your work station.
- Spread half of the batter into the prepared pan. Arrange half of the peaches on top of the batter. Sprinkle with half of the sugar mixture. Spread the remaining batter on top. Arrange the remaining peaches on top, followed by the remaining sugar mixture and the chopped pecans.
- Place in the oven and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until set and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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