I had the wonderful privilege of spending several days this summer in North Carolina with my two brothers. We love the mountains and wanted to get away and go hiking. We rented out a beautiful, quaint cabin in Weaverville, which was about 15 minutes from Asheville. Asheville is one of my favorite cities because the people who live there are very friendly and welcoming. Asheville is also super green! Many of the cafes, restaurants, and coffehouse are organic (and independently owned. and delicious). The Western North Carolina farmer’s market, located there, is open year-round. It’s amazing and huge. Nestled right in the mountains, Asheville also has tons of outdoor activities and beautiful scenery.

I was so excited when I noticed roadside stands selling local peaches. In Indiana, really good peaches are difficult to find, even in late summer. I bought a huge basket for only $10. It made my day. They were the juiciest, sweetest tasting peaches, too.  Unfortunately peaches can’t be stored for very long. You only have a small window of time to use them and enjoy them while they are ripe. Such a large basket meant I had to get baking-fast!

Although peach pie, peach cobbler, and peach muffins are all tasty, I wanted to make something different. For this, I turned to one of my favorite cookbooks, Rebecca Rather’s The Pastry Queen. Her Peach Queen Cake with Dulce de Leche frosting is a refreshingly unique peach dessert. Golden yellow cake studded with peaches and pecans is layered with a fruity peach filling and iced with a caramel Dulce de Leche frosting. This huge cake will make quite an impression to guests (and your family!).

Peach Queen Cake with Dulce de Leche Buttercream Frosting (from The Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather)

Dulce de Leche:

• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

Cake:

• 2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
• 1 cup pecan halves
• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3 cups sugar
• 6 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups cake flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup peeled, chopped peaches, fresh or frozen

Peach Filling

• 10-ounces jar high-quality peach preserves
• 1 3/4 cups peeled, chopped peaches, fresh or frozen, defrosted and drained if frozen

Dulce de Leche Buttercream

• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• Dulce de leche (above)

To make the dulce de leche: Remove the paper wrapper from the can of sweetened condensed milk. Use a can opener to make two small punctures on opposite sides of the top of the can. Set the can of milk in a medium saucepan, puncture side up. Fill the saucepan with water to reach two-thirds of the way up the sides of the can. Cover the saucepan and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat until the water simmers. Simmer the milk about 1 hour. Check the saucepan periodically, adding water to ensure that the water level does not drop below halfway. A bit of milk may seep out of the small holes in the can. Cook until the milk pooled on the top of the can has turned a deep golden brown (You may have heard that boiling the can of sweetened condensed milk unopened is a shortcut. Do not attempt this. The milk expands when heated and may erupt with explosive results).

Remove the can from the simmering water using a pot holder or tongs (it will be hot). Open the can carefully and use a rubber spatula to spoon the cooked milk into a small bowl. It should have a puddinglike consistency. Set aside until completely cooled. Reserve the dulce de leche for the frosting.

To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line the bottoms of three 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper rounds and grease with butter or cooking spray. Arrange the chopped pecans on a baking sheet in a single layer, and arrange the pecan halves on another baking sheet. Toast them in the oven for 7 to 9 minutes, until golden brown and aromatic. Cool the pecans for at least 10 minutes. Set the toasted pecans halves aside for decorating the cake. Leave the oven at 350 F.

Using a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed about 2 minutes, until fluffy. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the mixture from the sides into the middle of the bowl. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating on medium-high speed between each addition. Add the sour cream and vanilla; beat until incorporated. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the batter and beat on low speed just until incorporated. Fold in the peaches and 1 cup of the chopped pecans (reserve the remaining chopped pecans for the filling). Pour or spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Stagger the cake layers on the oven racks so that no layer is directly over another. Set two layers on one rack and the third on the other. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the cakes are light brown on top and firm to the touch. Cool for 10 minutes in the pans. Run a knife round the edges of the pans and invert the cakes onto a rack to cool completely, about 15 to 30 minutes. The cake layers can be kept frozen, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 3 weeks.

To make the peach filling: Sitr together the preserves, peaches, and reserved 1 cup pecans.

To make the buttercream: Using a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the butter in a large bowl on medium-high speed about 2 minutes, until fluffy. Add the cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar and beat until incorporated. Add the cooled dulce de leche and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes longer.

To assemble the cake, place 1 cake layer on a serving plate. Top with half of the peach filling. Add the second layer; top with the remaining peach filling. Add the third layer. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the buttercream. Press the toasted pecan halves in an even circle around the outer edge of the cake’s top.

The frosted cake will keep for 2 days at room temperature, or 1 week in the refrigerator. Bring the cake to room temperature before serving. Yield: 12 to 14 servings.