Peach Cake With Dulce de Leche Frosting

This peach cake with dulce de leche frosting is a spectacular 3 tier summer cake.  I bought 30 pounds of Colorado grown peaches from the local high school for a fundraiser this week and needed a great recipe to go with my peaches.  The original recipe comes from chef Rebecca Rather's book Pastry Queen. This cake is worth all the effort since it is moist from all those summer peaches and sweet from the dulce de leche frosting. I changed a few ingredients from the original by lowering the saturated fat content, lowered the sugar content and increased the fiber content by using whole wheat white flour. Invite some friends over tonight for dessert and enjoy this summer treat.

Peach Cake With Dulce de Leche Frosting:

Serves:  14
Pre-heat Oven:  350 degrees

Dulce De Leche:
1 (14 ounce ) can sweetened condensed milk
Remove the paper from the can of condensed milk then puncture 3 wholes in the top of the condensed milk with a can opener. Place the sweetened condensed milk can in a small saucepan. Fill the pan with water to 2/3 of the way up the sides of the pan.  Cover the saucepan with a lit and bring the water to a boil.  Then turn the heat down and allow the water to simmer for 1 hour (some milk might leak out the top). Remove the pan from the hot water.  Remove the lid of the can and spoon out the cooked milk and place in a small bowl.  Allow the milk to cool in the refrigerator.

Peach Cake:
2 cups coarsely chopped pecans (divided)
1 cup pecan halves
3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks), at room temperature
3/4 cup canola oil
2 3/4 cups sugar or organic cane sugar
6 large eggs
1 cup fat free yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour or all purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup peeled, chopped peaches, fresh or frozen

1.  Toast the pecans in a 350 degree oven for 9-10 minutes or until browned.  Keep the chopped pecans separate from the halves.  Allow to cool.
2.  Using a mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, oil and sugar together.  Add the eggs one at a time and beat after each addition. Add the yogurt and vanilla, flour, salt and baking soda.  Fold in 1 cup of chopped pecans and 1 cup chopped peaches.
3.  Grease 3 9 inch cake pans with cooking spray.  Pour the batter evenly into the 3 pans and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean.  Allow the cakes to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Run a knife around the edges of the cake and invert the cakes onto a wire rack to completely cool.

Toasting The Pecans

Folding In The Peaches And The Chopped Pecans To The Cake Batter

Peach Filling:
1 3/4 cups peeled, chopped peaches, fresh or frozen (if frozen defrost and drain any liquid).
Keep the peaches in a small bowl and 1 cup chopped pecans for the filling.

Box Of Colorado Peaches

Chopped Colorado Peaches

Delce De Leche Buttercream Frosting:
1 1/2 cup butter (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powder sugar
Deulce de leche, cooled (recipe above)

1.  In a mixer with a whip attachment, whip the butter until light and fluffy.  Add the whip cream, vanilla and the powder sugar to the butter and beat until light and fluffy.  Add the cooled Deulce de leche and beat until fluffy about 2 more minutes.

Delce De Leche Frosting

Assembling The Cake:
Place one cake layer on a cake plate or platter.  Top the first cake layer with a small amount of frosting then sprinkle with 1/2 cup of peaches and 1/2 cup of chopped pecans.  Add the 2nd cake layer and add a layer of frosting the peaches and the rest of the chopped nuts.  Add the 3rd cake layer and frost the entire cake. Decorate the top of the cake with the toasted pecan halves. The cake will last for 2 days covered in a dry dark place and 5 days in the refrigerator.  Bring the cake to room temperature before serving.

Adding The 1st Layer Of Frosting, Pecans And Peaches

Peach Cake With Dulce de Leche Frosting