I talk a lot about Granny, my mom’s mom, but I haven’t spent much time talking about Grandma, my dad’s mom.
The truth is, like the rest of my grandparents, my memories of her have faded. I vaguely remember a couple parties thrown in her honor. I know we frequently went to her house and out to dinner with her, often for Chinese food. At nearly every holiday and birthday, we spent time with her, but I was so young for much of it, I can barely recall a single thing.
An even harsher truth is that I was kind of scared of her. She was a bit rough around the edges and when you’re an incredibly nervous child, that’s hard to understand and harder to deal with. But she did love me, I knew that then, and I know it now, looking at all the cards she sent me and photos we took with her.
Just like Granny, I miss her and wish that I had time now to get to know her. To talk to her and learn about her, to make memories with her. I have grown so much since I had the chance to see her and am a different person almost entirely. To share that with her would be something.
But I can’t do that, so I just have to think about it. Even her favorite things to cook aren’t known to me save for a few recipes. Apparently she was known for her chop suey. Mom also talks of one day she spent with her baking tons of different Christmas cookies. That sounds like something right up my alley.
Like I imagine sharing cinnamon rolls (and really whatever I make) with Granny, I imagine sharing this Summer Peach Cake with Grandma. I hope she’d like it. Maybe with a cup of coffee or tea – I don’t even know which she preferred. We could talk about her past and my future. We could bond.
I made a different version of this cake awhile ago based on Ina Garten’s recipe. Look at the photos if you dare! I revamped it this time, swapping the sour cream for almond milk, the pecans for walnuts, and most importantly the butter for olive oil. Something was just telling me this cake needed to be made with olive oil. With a bit of trepidation the cake wouldn’t bake up properly, I did it.
I am so glad I did. This is a much better version of the cake (sorry Ina!). It baked up perfectly and is so wonderfully moist. So let’s all make this cake and share it with the grandparents we may still have and remember the ones that are gone.
Summer Peach Cake #SundaySupper
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 8 slices 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, divided
- ¾ cup milk (I used almond – use what you love)
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 large peaches, peeled and sliced
- ¾ cup walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Oil a 9 inch round cake pan. Line the bottom with parchment and oil the parchment.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ginger, and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon.
- In a large bowl, stir together the olive oil, 1 cup sugar, eggs, and vanilla until emulsified. Alternately add the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until combined.
- In a small bowl, stir together remaining 2 teaspoons cinnamon and ½ cup sugar.
- Pour half the batter in the prepared pan. Top with roughly half the peach slices, placing them in a decorative pattern. Sprinkle with half the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Pour the remaining batter over the peaches. Top with the remaining peaches using a decorative pattern. Sprinkle with walnuts, pushing them gently into the batter, and sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Bake for 65-75 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs. Tent the cake if at any time it is getting too brown during the baking process. Cool cake completely in pan or serve warm (which I recommend). Cake may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or frozen, wrapped in parchment and foil and placed in a zipper bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature about an hour or in the microwave about 1 minute.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Ina Garten
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
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My grandmothers were both very different ladies also. I loved them both was especially close to my mom’s mom. We find a way to have a relationship the only way we can with people that are hard to have one with, that I know from experience! Your peach cake looks yummy, I am a huge fan of peach flavor!
So true – we have such different relationships with people. They are unique as each of us. Thanks, Shelby!
My grandmothers were also quite different. Peach season is just winding down here in the South, and I love the idea of a Summer Peach Cake, and having coffee or tea with Granny!
I consider myself extremely blessed that my grandmothers both lived long enough to even know my children before they died, one in her late eighties and the other almost 100 when she passed away. I know how unusual that is! I love your cake with the peaches peeking out from the tender crumb, Laura. I’m imagining your grandmother would feel the same.
My mom’s mom was in her late eighties when she died, but she was older when she had my mom, and my mom was older when she had me, so it just didn’t work out for me to have the opportunity to know her as an adult. How very lucky you are that you had that time, Stacy.
I didn’t have the opportunity to know either of my fraternal grandparents. They died shortly after I was born. I, too, would love to have the opportunity to share a piece of your delicious cake with them and bond a little bit.
I don’t remember my grandmother’s cooking much, but my maternal grandmother would toast angel food cake for our breakfast. I’m sure your grandmothers would have loved to cook with you. Your peach cake looks scrumptious!
Now I want to try toasted angel food cake for breakfast 🙂 Thanks, Liz!
This cake looks scrumptious! I didn’t have the pleasure of knowing one of my grandma’s all that well either, she passed away when I was only 2 and it seems like there were no recipes passed along. My other grandma I knew much better and was able to learn a bit about cooking / baking from her.
You are very lucky to have learned some cooking and baking tips from your grandmother, Patsy!
What a wonderful looking peach cake!
What a lovely summer cake! I would also like to share some over tea with my grandmother 🙂
Thanks, Kristi!
This cake looks so delicious, I can actually see the moistness in the photo! Can’t wait to try it with some home grown Romeo peaches. Perfect timing…you should enter it in the Peach Festival baking contest, I bet it would win 1st place.
Thanks, Carol! I hope you enjoy the cake as much as we did 🙂
I knew only one Grandparent on each side. Granny’s mom, Nellie, I remember a bit as she passed when I was about 10 or 11. I remember having tea with her and I think that is where my love of a cup of tea comes from. She was Irish and she loved her tea with milk! Papa’s mom died when he was little so even he didn’t know her…what a shame.
I would love to have had this peach cake with Grandma Nellie!!
It is a shame that very often we don’t get to know our grandparents. They have so much love and information to share with us.
Sometimes when we look back at relatives from an adult perspective we can see who they really were. You may have gotten your love of baking from her!
Those are some brave changes to the original recipe – I’m glad it worked out!
They definitely were, but I’m so happy I did it. If you don’t take risks, you never know 😉
I sadly never knew one of my grandparents at all and others I similarly have faded memories with being fairly young, but nonetheless it’s still great to have the memories and as you say imagine enjoying foods with them now as well. This cake sounds delicious and I definitely hope to give it a try!
Thanks, Caroline! I am in the same position – I didn’t even get to meet one of my grandparents. It’s very sad.