Peach sour cream crumb cake

Peach Sour Cream Crumb Cake

Makes one 9 inch square or round cake

I have to admit, I am crazy for crumb coffee cakes. Let me clarify that, I’m crazy for MOIST crumb coffee cakes, not those dried out commercial kind you buy at the supermarket that require you to drink a gallon of milk just to be able to swallow. I find the best and most delicious ones all have one common ingredient, sour cream. However some sour cream coffee cakes are very heavy and dense and are just too rich. This recipe I find just about perfect. Moist, with a soft, light crumb and it’s great for breakfast, snack or dessert. Now that peaches are in season I’ve added them to this cake but feel free to try other seasonal fruit such as plums, apricots, apples or berries. 

You can whip this up in less than an 90 min and I guarantee it will be a huge hit. 

For the cake:

1 1/2 cups/180g unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for pan 

1 teaspoon /5g baking powder

1/2 teaspoon/2g kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon /1g baking soda

1/2 cup/113g (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan

2/3 cup /150g granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

3/4 cup/172g sour cream, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 large ripe peaches, cut into 1/2”/1cm dice

For the crumb topping:

1/3C/70g dark brown sugar

1/3C/100g granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 C/113g unsalted butter, melted

1-3/4 C/220g all-purpose flour

• Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C, with a rack in the lower third of the oven. Butter a 9x2-inch/23cm round or a 9”/23cm square cake pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper and butter the parchment. Dust the pan with flour, tapping out the excess.
• To make crumb topping; in a large bowl, whisk sugars, spices and salt into melted butter until smooth. Then, add flour with a spatula or wooden spoon. It will look and feel like a solid dough. Using your hands, break the dough into approximately 1/2”/1cm crumbs and set aside  
• Stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl. Set aside. 
•  In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment(or  with a handheld mixer), beat together the butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until light, about 5 minutes. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl after each addition. Mix in the sour cream, and vanilla until well combined. On low speed, add the flour mixture just until combined. (The batter will be thick.) Fold in the diced peaches. 
• Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and sprinkle the crumb streusel mixture generously on top. Place the pan onto the preheated oven. 
•  Bake until the cake is golden and pulling away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted near the center tests clean (assuming you haven’t hit a peach), approximately 50-60 minutes, rotating the pan front to back a little past halfway through baking. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes.
• Run a thin knife around the inside edge of the pan to loosen the cake sides.  Place a flat plate over the pan. Using oven mitts if needed, grasp the plate and pan tightly together on both sides and invert the plate and pan to release the cake onto the plate. Lift off the pan and peel off the parchment. Invert the cake again onto the cooling rack and allow to completely cool or serve warm.