CAKE FOR A SAGE, GEORGIA PEACH

One of my closest friends started residency in a new city under a pretty demanding program, so a group of friends and I decided to fly out for a week and celebrate her birthday with her to provide some fun, familiarity and encouragement during what was a busy, new season of her life. For her actual birth day, I wanted to surprise her after her shift with a cake lit up as she walked through the door and I gravitated towards something that would use peaches since she’s a Georgia girl (cue “Peaches” by Justin Bieber). I landed on this nutmeg ginger chiffon cake + macerated peaches + sage whipped cream combo after thinking about some of our shared, favorite flavor profiles that we’ve enjoyed together over the many meals and years, from restaurant weeks during college to post-grad travels and home city visits. This is definitely one of the most interesting and best cakes I’ve made as of late, all for my favorite sage, Georgia peach. <3 I am so proud of you!

Sage Peach Cake
Cake from Smitten Kitchen
Makes 1 4-layer 9-inch cake

Ingredients

For sage whipped cream

• 2 cups heavy cream

• 6 Tbsp granulated sugar

• 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract

• 3/4 pack of sage leaves

For macerated peaches

• 3 peaches, peeled, pitted and diced into small cubes

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped

For cake

• 2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour

• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, separated

• 1 Tbsp baking powder

• 1 tsp salt

• 3 tsp nutmeg powder

• 1 tsp ginger powder

• 3/4 cup cold water

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 5 large egg yolks, room temperature

• 8 large egg whites, room temperature

For sage whipped cream: In a bowl, combine heavy cream and sage leaves. Muddle sage leaves in the bottom using a flat edged spoon (or roughly using mixer beater like me). Let sit and soak in fridge as you prepare the cake, at least 1 hour. Once cake is done, take heavy cream and pour through a fine metal sieve over a clean medium bowl to separate out sage pieces. Add sugar and vanilla extract to heavy cream and whip using electric mixer until soft peaks form.

For macerated peaches: Toss and combine peaches, sugar and chopped sage in a bowl. Let sit at room temperature as you prepare the cake, at least 1 hour. Peaches will get soft and jammy over time.

For cake: Follow directions at Smitten Kitchen for chiffon cake layers. Remove lemon zest in recipe and instead add 3 tsp nutmeg powder and 1 tsp ginger powder with dry ingredients. You can adjust spice levels to taste. I also never use cream of tartar, so not necessary if you don’t have it. You should end up with 2 cake pans cut into 4 separate layers.

To assemble/to finish: Take one cake layer and spread with a thin layer of sage whipped cream. Spoon macerated peaches evenly across the layer, getting as close to the edge as possible. Spread a thicker layer of sage whipped cream over the peaches to fill in the nooks and crannies and top with the next cake layer. Repeat two times. With the final top layer, spread remaining sage whipped cream in fluffy waves around the top, using a spoon to create swoopy peaks, and decorate with additional peach slices, sage leaves and chopped pistachios (optional).

Notes: The listed 2 cups of heavy cream gave me enough whipped cream to do a naked cake version of this, but I wish I had doubled it so that I could cover the cake since the sage whipped cream was one of my favorite elements. Don’t make the same mistake.