This recipe for an alternate version of Baltimore Peach Cake** comes from “Black-Eyed Susan Country,” another popular Maryland fund-raising cookbook.
This particular book, first printed in 1987, raised money for St. Agnes Hospital. Onetime St. Agnes Auxiliary president Mary Parga was a volunteer at the White House, and used her connections to compile the book’s notable “VIP” section. Barbara Mikulski’s crab-cake recipe makes an appearance, as well as [William Donald] “Schaefer’s Wafers.” The book also contains recipes from famed restaurants Tio Pepe, and the defunct Rudy’s 2900 and Chez Fernand. Recipes were also contributed by First Lady Nancy Reagan, and wife of then-Vice President George Bush.
This peach cake recipe was contributed by Mary Jo Krebs, an Arbutus resident who passed away in 2014. Both Mary Jo (born Gibson) and her husband Alcuin had Baltimore city roots going back many generations. Alcuin served in World War II before returning to Baltimore, graduating from Loyola and teaching in Baltimore public schools.
** So, no, this so-called “Baltimore Peach Cake” is not the yeast-risen, glazed cake we hear so much about. This was another beast entirely; a delicious, moist, cinnamony beast. By any other name it would taste just as sweet.
Recipe:
- 1 Tablespoon softened butter
- 1 Cup sugar
- 2.5 Cup flour
- 3 Teaspoon baking powder
- 1.5 Cup milk
- .75 Cup sugar
- 2 Teaspoon cinnamon
- 5 peeled and sliced peach, fresh
- 2 Tablespoon melted butter
Preheat oven to 350°. Blend first five ingredients with electric mixer. Spread in greased and floured 13 x 9 inch inch cake pan and sprinkle with one half of cinnamon-sugar. Arrange peach slices in rows on top of the dough. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon-sugar and drizzle with melted butter. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
Recipe adapted from Black-Eyed Susan Country: A Collection of Recipes by St. Agnes Hospital Auxiliary Committee
