Peach Streusel Buckle

For Father's Day, I wanted to take advantage of the lovely peaches that have started to appear and originally planned to make a cobbler for dessert. After consulting with the hubby, we decided to switch to this cake, which I made as written last year, but this time I couldn't leave well enough alone. And I'm glad I didn't because this version is even better. I mashed up two recipes with some tweaks here and there, and the result is a delicious buckle that's a wonderful (and easier) alternative to cobbler.

Peach Streusel Buckle
Adapted from Joy the Baker and King Arthur Flour
9 servings

For the streusel:
    4 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/2" chunks
    1/4 cup brown sugar
    1/2 cup all-purpose flour
    1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    1/2 teaspoon almond extract
    pinch of kosher salt

For the cake:
    1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
    1 cup granulated sugar
    1 cup all-purpose flour
    1 tablespoon baking powder
    1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
    1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
    1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
    3/4 cup milk (I used whole, but the original recipe says low-fat milk will work fine.)
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    2 1/2 cups peeled, sliced peaches (about 3 peaches) 

    1. Combine all of the streusel ingredients in a small bowl and mix with your fingers or a fork until it's crumbly. Set aside. (If your kitchen is warm like mine, it's a good idea to put it in the refrigerator until you need it.) 

    2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  

    3. To make the cake, melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. It will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden, and finally start to turn brown and smell nutty. Stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom as you do. Don’t take your eyes off the pot as it can burn very quickly. Once it is deeply fragrant and almost nut-brown in color, remove the pan from the heat and carefully pour the butter into an 8-inch or 9-inch square baking dish. 

    4. In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the milk and vanilla and stir. 

    5. Pour the batter into the baking pan on top of the melted butter. DO NOT STIR! (I know it will look crazy, and you'll think this can't possibly be right, but it is. Trust me.) The batter does need to be perfectly even, but try to distribute it throughout the dish. Without mixing, arrange the fruit evenly over the top of the batter, then sprinkle with the streusel. 

    6. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour (mine took 55 minutes), until the top turns golden brown. Serve warm or room temperature. It's delicious on its own, but why miss this opportunity to add some slightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream? Enjoy!