From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We spent the day at Baker Bay. It was family-type gathering and we spent most of the afternoon on the water. Food was simple. We had the most basic of barbecues, with choices limited to hamburgers, hot dogs or Sloppy Joes. The salads, some of which were delicious, were a pot luck affair and did a lot to help dress up the meal. I was asked to bring desserts. Because everything was being kept simple, I kept with the program and brought desserts that would fit in with the meal. We brought one of those old-fashioned crank ice cream maker to amuse the kids, as well as my version of a Texas sheet cake, and a couple of the Peach Upside-Down cakes I'm sharing with you tonight. The cake is barely sweet, but it has wonderful flavor thanks to the peaches and the unusual addition of toasted cornmeal to the cake batter. Those of you who favor desserts that are barely sweet will enjoy this unusual version of upside-down cake. The cake is easy to prepare but there are a few pitfalls you'll want to avoid should you decide to make it. Resist the temptation to increase the amount of peaches called for in the recipe. Doing so will result in a damp and soggy cake that no one will enjoy. As for the peaches themselves, you'll want to work with firm, just ripe fruit, or frozen fruit that has been thawed, drained and patted dry. Truly ripe peaches are way too soft for this dessert and you'll end up with a mushy cake that is an eyesore. The recipe comes from Cook's Country magazine, so you can rest assured that it has been tested and will produce a nice dessert. If you are looking for something new to try, you might want to experiment with this cake. Here is how it is made.
