Last night Tom and I had dinner with our friends Dorothy and Dan, Dorothy's parents, and Dorothy's aunt and uncle. Dorothy's father grilled up some delicious steaks, and I knew that Aunt Janet would be bringing her famous blackberry cobbler. I distinctly remember the first time I ever tasted Aunt Janet's delicious cobbler. Janet brought some over when Dorothy and I invited her to watch Gladiator at our apartment -- back when Dorothy and I were roommates right after law school -- and Dorothy politely warned Janet about all of the particularly violent parts so that Janet could look away.I checked my baking records and saw that I had already made Lemon Almond Buttermilk Loaf with Balsamic Strawberries and Blueberry Tartlets with Lime Curd for Dorothy's family; otherwise these would have been natural choices for a summer cookout dessert. Instead, I decided to make peach ice cream, which is Dorothy's favorite (recipe from Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Frozen Dessert Book). I always make it with white peaches, because in general, I am a bit of a fruit racist (I insist on my peaches, nectarines, and grapefruits all being white). I thought a cinnamon cake would go well with the ice cream, so I made Cinnamon Coffee Cake. I always bake with Penzey's Vietnamese Cassia Cinnamon, which is very strong and fragrant (if you have a Penzey's store in your area, stop by and you can smell all of the varieties of cinnamon they offer to decide what you like before you buy). This cake made my entire apartment smell incredible.
This did not end up being the world's best looking cake (especially when I encountered some stickage on the bottom when I unmolded it) but it was moist and full of cinnamon goodness. And nothing says summer like the creamy goodness of fresh peach ice cream!
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