A soft and tender peach ginger crumb cake with a crunchy nutty topping and perfectly spiced interior – as excellent with a cup of coffee in the morning as it is for an after dinner treat.
This year is a total train wreck, but you guys:
THE PEACHES.
They are freaking fantastic!!!
I said this to my husband the other day (as I was noshing down on a peach for dessert, with juice dripping down my elbows obvs) and he was like, “that’s all you’re going to remember about this year, isn’t it?”
God willing.
Seriously though, I can’t even remember the last year that peaches were this good for so long. Usually I get a golden week out of them before they turn mealy and bland, but this has been a summer long phenomenon and I am here for it. It’s the least we can ask for out of everything we’ve been through. Really.
So mostly I’ve been eating the peaches out of hand for a snack every few hours, but every once in a while I muster up enough self control to save a few for a baking project.
This peach ginger crumb cake is the best of the best so I HIGHLY recommend that you do the same.
There’s a truly decadent buttery pecan spice crumble topping paired with an incredibly soft and tender peach-studded cake that goes as well with a morning cup of coffee as it does with an after dinner aperitif.
Despite featuring ginger three ways (dried ginger goes in both the crumble and the cake, and crystallized ginger is chopped into tiny pieces and spread throughout the cake batter) it is subtly spiced in a way that creeps up on you as you eat it and keeps getting richer as the cake sits.
While crystallized ginger can have a pretty bold flavor when eaten on its own, it mellows out and almost melts into the cake as it bakes. Be forewarned, it can be kind of a pain to chop and my pro tip of the day is to get at it with a pair of scissors rather than trying to take it down with a knife.
You’re welcome.
- ½ cup (50 g) chopped pecans
- ½ cup (100 g) sugar
- 2 tbsp firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 2 tbsp (30 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground ginger
- ⅛ tsp kosher salt
- pinch of cloves
- 10 tbsp (140 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1¼ cups (250 g) sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (240 g) creme fraiche, room temperature
- 1 cup (240 g) whole milk, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3¼ cups (455 g) all purpose flour
- ¼ cup (40 g) finely chopped crystallized ginger
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 lb (455 g) ripe peaches, pitted and chopped
- Heat oven to 350F.
- Place the pecans on a baking sheet and toast until golden, about 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and pour into a bowl. Allow to cool for 15 minutes or until you can touch them without burning yourself.
- Add the sugar, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and cloves to the bowl with the pecans. Use your fingers to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it forms crumbles. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Heat oven to 350F. Line a 10-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Grease the bottom and sides of the pan. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter and the sugar. Add in the eggs and whisk until completely combined. Whisk in the creme fraiche, mixing until smooth, then mix in the milk and vanilla. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, crystallized ginger, baking powder, ground ginger, baking soda, and salt. Pour the wet ingredient mixture into the bowl with the flour mixture and gently fold the two together with a rubber spatula. Mix until halfway combined. Add in the peaches and continue to fold the batter together until there are no dry pockets of flour. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan. Top with the crumb topping in an even layer.
- Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Bake until the cake is golden on top and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. When done, remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.
- Slice into wedges and serve.
My only peach problem (and it could be a produce delivery issue) is that we can get through them before they go bad. But you’re right about them being awesome the first few days!
Drooling!!! What a beauty.
Could you sub fresh ginger root for crystallized ginger if that is all you have?
Hi, I haven’t tried it but I think you could! I would use about a tbsp of grated fresh ginger in place of the crystallized ginger. Let me know if you try it!