Cinnamon Peach Kuchen

My mother-in-law tells me that her mother, my husband’s grandmother, made an amazing kuchen. Sometimes she made it with apples, sometimes with peaches, you could really use any kind of fruit that was in season. She passed away before I got to meet her, but I hear she was an amazing baker and I would have loved to know her.

Truth is, I had never even heard of kuchen until my mother-in-law sent me a picture and recipe. Kuchen, it turns out, is the german word for “cake.” However, it is not cakey at all. It has a thick, shortbread like crust, a layer of fruit, a layer (in this recipe) of cinnamon sugar and butter, and a layer of light, creamy custard.

There are so many great flavors and textures in this recipe. I made it up really quickly when we had my in-laws over for Mother’s Day brunch, and it was really delicious warm out of the oven. Unfortunately, Mother’s Day fell on a very grey, dreary, rainy Seattle day and I didn’t have the best light for pictures, so they pictures are what they are. And what they are is sucky.

That said, the kuchen was delicious. I have to say, I can’t wait to make it with my favorite baking fruit, apples. That will be next for sure.

Recipe from Taste of Home

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup cold butter, grated
2 cans (15-1/4 ounces each) peach halves, drained and patted dry *you can use any kind of fruit, fresh, frozen (thawed) or canned. I used frozen thawed peaches.
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder; cut in butter until crumbly. (I stick my butter in the freezer for a few minutes and then grate it into the flour to make it easier to cut in.) Press onto the bottom and 1-1/2 in. up the sides of a greased 9-in. springform pan.
Place pan on a baking sheet. Arrange peach halves, cut side up, in the crust. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over peaches.
Bake 20 minutes. While baking, Combine egg yolks and cream; pour over peaches. Bake 25-30 minutes longer or until top is set. Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 10 servings.