Fresh Peach Kuchen
I wish that everything was as good and as simple as this fresh peach kuchen. I tell you if it was the world would be a lot happier place. It’s like a hug on a plate.
We usually go spend Memorial day weekend down at the Lake of the Ozarks with my husbands whole family. 14 kids and 8 adults. It’s a wild, wild time. However, this year we didn’t get to go down because of my daughter’s track meet. So we planned a trip down with just my in-laws for our makeup Memorial day weekend. The drive down takes us right past this awesome little orchard, Peter’s Market. Normally we don’t get to stop in, because we’re travelling after my husband gets off work, at hours they are closed. That was the case this time too. But my mother in law knew I was excited about peaches, so she stopped in and got some for both of us! Wasn’t that nice?
Fresh summer peaches are one of my favorites. I love eating them plain. I love macerating a peach and mixing it into a big glass of moscato. And I can’t forget fresh peach butter. That stuff I could just eat right out of the jar with a spoon! But since my mother in law was being kind enough to share her peaches with me, I didn’t want to be greedy and take too many. So I made peach kuchen.
Kuchen is simply the German word for cake. It can take several different forms, but this peach kuchen today is an almost pie-like variety with a thick cakey crust and a fresh peach topping. It’s great because it doesn’t take a whole lot of anything to make, not a ton of ingredients nor a ton of time. I also love the fact that it is baked in a springform pan, which makes it easy to remove and serve. (I’ve had so many issues lately with baked goods sticking to my pans! Maybe it has something to do with the humidity and all the rain? That’s what I’m telling myself.) Arranging the pretty little peaches on the top is the icing on the cake kuchen. Who doesn’t love food that is inherently gosh darn gorgeous?
This kuchen is simple, capturing the sunburst sweetness of fresh peaches. The dense and cakey crust soaks up all that extra peach juice as it bakes.It is topped off with a light dusting of cinnamon and sugar that accentuates the peaches, but doesn’t overpower them. Not too sweet, nor heavy this dish makes a perfect end to your meal. Or with all that fresh fruit, let’s go ahead and say it’s fine to eat for breakfast. You know darn well I did.
Fresh Peach Kuchen
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter (, softened)
- 1/4 sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1.5 pounds peaches (about 3.5- 4 cups sliced thinly)
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- 1/2- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease the bottom and up about one inch of the sides of a 9 inch springform pan.
- In a medium sized bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla, beating well again. Add the flour, baking powder and salt, mixing well.
- Using the back of a spoon or a small spatula, spread the dough evenly over the bottom of the springform pan and about 1 inch up the sides.
- Arrange the sliced peaches over the top of the dough like spokes of a wheel, placing them closely together.
- In a small bowl, mix the remaining sugar and the cinnamon. Sprinkle it well over the peaches and dough.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees or until the edges of the kuchen are lightly golden brown.
- Place on a cooling rack for 10 minutes before removing the sides of the pan.
- Serve warm or after it's cooled.
Oh yum, this looks so good. I’ll have to wait until summer for the peaches to be in season (its winter in my part of the world). Maybe I can substitute pears or apples.
Cristie, pears would make a fantastic fruit to substitute. I hope that you enjoy it!
Thanks for the recipe . I will try this soon…………..
These dessert looks out-of-control good! Peaches where I live have been AMAZING this year and I look forward to trying this out soon!
Score on the fresh peaches! Looks like they did amazingly well in this dish 😀
What a deliciously gorgeous treat this is! So perfect for peach season!
This looks amazing Amy! I haven’t seen Kuchen since going to Argentina (big German influence) too many years ago!
I’ve never left the United States Alisa, so I’m envious of your travels. I’m glad that this kuchen recipe could bring back some nostalgic memories of your trip.
The peaches I’ve had lately have been so sweet. A kuchen is such a great way to use them. Pinning to try!
I think that kuchens are often overlooked in the pastry world, but I don’t know why. They really are a great way to use fresh fruit. Thanks so much for pinning Joanie! I appreciate it.
I love peaches. This dessert looks absolutely delicious. I saved it to my Pinterest board. The title of your blog caught my attention.
Thanks for pinning Marilyn. I’ve really grown to love the title of my blog, it’s so me. Never in a million years would I have ever guessed that I’d love baking and blogging as much as I do. Sometimes circumstance brings just the right thing at just the right time.
OH MY GOSH – just looking at the pictures make my mouth water! This looks so so good! I may need to invest in a spring form pan – I don’t have one but it sure does make for a nice looking dish.
Kathie, you really should get a springform pan. They’re super useful for making desserts, especially cheesecakes! I suppose you could make this in a pie tin or cake pan, but it might be harder to slice and serve. Maybe you should have a German cooking night with your friends and you could make this dish as your contribution.
Hug on a plate? I am ALL IN!
Absolutely, a hug on a plate. Some dishes make me think of my grandma and her cooking. Those kind of hearty, rustic, lovely foods are totally a hug on a plate!
I love simple desserts that come out looking like a million bucks! This would be really good on a hot summer day with a big scoop of ice cream on top….yum!