Peach Spicecake

There's no denying it, I'm a sucker for cookware, and when a new culinary temptation is placed in front of me I start deliberating that inevitable purchase. To paraphrase James Brown's iconic hit title...Mama's "got a new bag".......Let me introduce you to my latest cake mold purchase and inspiration for this next post ( of course any 10 inch cake or tube pan will do the job!)                          

 
The recipe I chose to christen my new acquisition is an adaptation of a standard spicecake recipe in which I adjusted the spices to compliment the addition of peach puree to the cake batter. Yup, you read right, peach sauce. I'm fully aware that summer has long past but fortunately my freezer held a small reserve from this season's bounty. I figured, why not try incorporating it in a cake recipe? If it works with other fruits like apples and pineapple, why not peaches? Nothing ventured, nothing gained so I'm glad I took my chances and I'm very pleased with the results. The cake is moist with autumn spices running lightly through it to compliment the delicate sweetness of the Ontario summer peaches. Perfect served with a dusting of confectioners sugar.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoons cardamom
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 soft butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
zest of 1 orange
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 egg yolks,
1 cup peach puree (made with cooked  peaches and the aid of a food processor)
3 egg whites
Sift the dry ingredients to combine and set aside. In a medium size bowl beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form but not dry. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and gradually add the sugar. Continue beating until light and fluffy.Beat the egg yolks and add to the butter sugar mixture. Blend in the vanilla, peach puree and orange rind. Add the flour and spice ingredients into the wet ingredients and blend with a wooden spoon. Add a few spoonfuls of the egg whites into the batter to loosen it. Do not overwork the dough. Fold in the remainder of the egg whites and pour into a prepared 10 inch cake pan. Bake at 350º oven for 40 minutes or when  a wooden skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.