7.08.2011

Sauternes Chiffon Cake with Boozy Peaches


One of my favorite summer cakes has always been an orange chiffon my mother used to make. And my Aunt Mar's chiffon birthday cake runs a close second. But I think they are both about to be moved down the list as this chiffon cake made with Sauternes ought to have the word elegant in the title. It's light as a cloud, tastes like manna from heaven and is amazingly versatile. Let me count the ways: the cake alone; the cake with Grand Marnier flavored whipped cream; the peaches alone with whipped cream; the peaches over vanilla bean ice cream; and of course the best: the cake with the peaches plus whipped cream.
Please note: the peaches must be made the day before and while you may be tempted to try other fruit with it, try it with the peaches first. (recipe follows) I've never made a chiffon cake in anything but an angel food cake pan and while this cake looked as though it was going to spill over the springform pan, it didn't. Barely.

I'm sure you've all visited Darjeeling Dreams. Joyti's blog is wonderful, her presentations  are so creative and the recipes are such fun to read about. This recipe is no exception....it's a HUGE summer winner.

Sauternes Chiffon Cake with Ina's Sauternes Peaches

Adapted from HERE


Ingredients:
7 large eggs, separated and at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar, divided into halves
1/2 cup sugar
pinch salt
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp oil, canola or olive
1/2 cup good quality Sauternes 
1 tbsp baking powder
3.5 ounces (1 scant cup) all purpose flour, sifted

Method: 

Preheat oven to 325°F. Prepare a 9-inch springform pan by greasing it well and lining the bottom with parchment paper. (You'll find the cake rises to the top. So be sure to grease the sides all the way to the top.)
In a medium bowl, whip together egg yolks, salt and 1/3 cup of sugar until pale. Slowly whisk in the oil, then the wine.
Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixture fitted with a whisk attachment. Add the 1/2 cup of sugar and the pinch of salt, and whip  until soft peaks form. Add 1/3 cup of sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form.

Sift the baking powder with the flour and set aside. Pour half of yolk mixture over the whites, and sprinkle half of flour mixture over this. Gently fold together, being careful that the whites do not lose volume. Repeat with remaining halves.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until the top has browned. Turn the temperature of oven down to 300°F, and continue to bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. (It took me longer than the time indicated.)
Cook the cake on a rack. You'll find that it falls a bit in the center. That's fine.


Serve with
Ina Garten's Sauternes peaches. You'll love these peaches all by themselves with just a little whipped cream on top.

Ingredients:
6 to 8 very ripe yellow or white peaches
3 tablespoons sugar
1 (375 ml.) bottle good Sauternes ( I just used the remainder of my sauternes from the cake.)
1 tablespoon orange-flavored liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)

Directions:
Bring a pot of water to a boil and immerse the peaches in the water for 1 to 2 minutes, until the skins come off easily. Remove them with a slotted spoon and place them in a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking. Peel the peaches and then slice them in wedges off the pit and into a bowl. Stir in the sugar, Sauternes, and orange liqueur. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. Serve cool but not cold.

36 comments:

  1. You had me at "boozy peaches"!! I love chiffon cakes and this one sounds like a warm summer's day.

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  2. I love boozy, caky and fruity desserts! This one is perfect and delightfully summery.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  3. I haven't had a chance to taste sauternes yet but boozy cake and peaches sound good.

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  4. See... I'm just not a peach fan. Don't like mango either. I don't know sauternes... flavor profile help please?

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  5. This looks fantastic, Barbara, and I love that you baked it in a spring form pan. I recently bought a new angel food cake pan and the cake sticks no matter what I do so I'm going to toss it.The first thing I'm going to make when our peaches come in is Boozy Peaches.

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  6. Heavenly Barbara, simply heavenly...

    You just reminded me. I do believe July is National Peach Month. I'll need to check. Boozy peaches sound divine...

    That cake is weighing heavy on my mind. I love the addition of sauternes wine. Sauternes wine and fruit are a perfect match.

    Thank you so much for sharing...

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  7. Our peaches are just stating to ripen so this sounds like to perfect way to launch the peach season.
    Mimi

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  8. Two fantastic desserts put together make an amazing dessert! Delicious combination, Barbara!

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  9. Absolutely delicious Barbara this is type of Cake, look yumm!!! have a nice weekend! gloria

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  10. Barbara, this looks fabulous. In my opinion, this is an elegant way to enjoy a southern style cake with a French twist.

    Velva

    P.S. Jet lag got the best of us when we arrived in NYC. I cancelled our reservations with Prune (ugh). Now that I feel rested, I could kick myself.

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  11. I love her blog too, what a wonderful treat.

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  12. Oh my yes! This cake is begging me to bookmark it and make asap!

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  13. This cake looks delicious and the boozy peaches sound divine!

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  14. I want some of those boozy peaches! This cake (and the peaches, of course) sound scrumptious. :)

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  15. Swoon Barbara - wowzer and a must-make for me!!!

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  16. Oooh...that looks very tempting. Love how you serve it with cream and peaches. I always love chiffon cakes...so light and so lovely in the mouth. I have never tried making it myself. My friend here is very good in making chiffon cake. She really spoils me by giving me chiffon cake very often. I think I better learn just in case one day she moves away or I move away! :P

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  17. As per my view, this is an elegant way to enjoy a southern style cake with a French twist. I always like to prefer chiffon cakes in weekend.

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  18. Hi Barbara,

    This cake looks divine and i really want to try this when we have peaches in season.
    Many thanks for sharing and yes, Joyti does have a wonderful blog like yours.

    Happy weekend
    Hugs
    Carolyn

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  19. The chiffon looks so airy and soft! I love that you used sauternes in the cake.

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  20. I love the IDEA of a chiffon cake but all of those eggs have always kept me from making one. Yours is convincing me I need to just give it a go!

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  21. Booze in the cake and in the topping? Rock on! I'm coming over to your house.

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  22. Boozy peaches - wow. Lovely cake Barbara, but you would have to keep an eye on me or the peaches would be gone before you knew it.
    Sam

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  23. I love chiffon cakes and this one sounds excellent, Barbara! Good excuse to buy some sauternes too :)

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  24. I don't bake, but those peaches are calling my name!

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  25. Wow. That looks beyond magic!

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  26. Love Sauternes - what a great idea to use this in a cake!

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  27. The chiffon cake looks airy, light, and grand. And, those peaches in Sauternes sound amazing. What a great summer dessert!

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  28. MMM delicious! I haven't had a sauterne cake in years... almost forgot how good they can be and then you reminded me... many thanks. The peaches would be perfect with them!

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  29. Yum! I love Joyti's blog too. You did a wonderful job of the cake dear, another recipe to bookmark.

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  30. Oh my goodness...this sounds absolutely divine. I must find an excuse to make this, soon!

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  31. Oooo...this certainly looks good and loving the whole combinations as well! Yumm..yumm..yummm....
    Regards, Kristy

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  32. Wow!! this is a marvellous summer idea...for an evening with friends! I love it!

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  33. i don't make chiffon cake very often--i'm too lazy to separate the eggs and whip the whites (it's hard by hand!!). this sounds worth the effort though, especially in combination with those peachy peaches. :)

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  34. OMG I don't know how I didn't see this post sooner! I am smitten and cannot wait to try this - I adore Sauternes but have never cooked with it. Thank you for this fabulous recipe, Barbara!

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  35. this recipe of Joyti's really tempted me, too, Barbara. Peaches are so plentiful at our farmers markets right now. Looks divine. I'm so glad you made it!

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