Peach Buttermilk Cake

Peaches may be best eaten freshly sliced by themselves, but if you need to make something to serve for breakfast or brunch, this is a great choice. This is inspired by a recipe in Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Everyday cookbook, which I happily received for my birthday back in May and am just now beginning to use. The cake is lovely - not too sweet, but moist and substantial - just the way you want a cake to be for brunch, or as a snack for the boys. I served it at brunch to a diverse crowd this weekend and it went over well with young and old, junk foodies and organic enthusiasts.

The main difference in my version is that I used non-dairy ingredients and I had to bake it for quite a long time. I'm beginning to think I may have a pretty crappy oven. So to make buttermilk, add one teaspoon vinegar per cup of milk used and allow to set for 15 minutes. I used coconut milk and it became a bit curdled - the perfect reaction.  I replaced the eggs with ground flax - works like a charm. I made it the day before serving, covered tightly with plastic wrap, refrigerated it, and then re-heated it in the oven and found that it tasted perfectly fresh. You could certainly bake into little muffins for snacks or individual treats.

• 2.5 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon fine-grain salt 
• 2 tablespoons ground flax seed + 6 tablespoons water (combine and set aside)
• 1.5 cups milk of choice + 1.5 teaspoons white vinegar (combine and set 15 min)
• 1/4 cup butter of choice, slightly melted 
• zest of 2 lemons 
• 4 cups peaches, pitted and chopped
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 
2. Combine dry ingredients and mix well in a large bowl or Kitchen Aid.
3. In a smaller bowl, combine flax+water, milk+vinegar, butter, and lemon zest. Add to dry mixture and combine, but don't over mix. 
4. Gently add peaches to cake batter an pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle brown sugar on top. 
5. Bake until set and toothpick comes out clean from the center - about 30 minutes. 
6. Cool on wire rack and serve or store for later.