Recipe: Peach Puree Coffee Cake

Note: I'm not much of a chef or baker, but there are a few quick, simple recipes I like to make for lighter sweet treats. I'll be sharing a few of my favorite summery ones on the blog this season as an experimental new series. Please keep in mind that these recipes reflect only my own experience, and that if you choose to follow them you do so at your own risk!

Peach season has begun in my home state of New Jersey, but blasphemously enough I'm not a fan of the texture of fresh peaches. This coffee cake, which uses peach purée, is a nice way for me to enjoy the summery flavor of peaches instead. The cake has a fruity taste similar to applesauce cake but with a brighter flavor.

Ingredients:

- 1 1/2 cups multi-purpose baking mix*
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup peach purée**
- 6 tablespoons peach nectar
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- Extra tablespoon of granulated sugar for topping

*I used Madhava's pancake mix; any all-purpose or pancake mix that does not require the addition of eggs will work in this recipe.

**You can puree fresh peaches, but for convenience I use Plum Organic's peach purée.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9-inch round pie plate or cake pan and set aside.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the baking mix with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Add the peach purée, peach nectar, and melted butter. Stir with a large fork until dry ingredients are moistened through--the batter will be thick and somewhat lumpy.

3. Spread the batter in the pie plate or cake pan and top with an extra tablespoon of sugar to give the cake extra sweetness and a nice finish. If you like, you can use cinnamon sugar instead to add a bit of peach pie flavor.

4. Bake the cake at 350 degrees until a toothpick or thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

5. Let the cake cool completely before serving, as the peach flavor will be most intense when the cake is cool.