Cooking For Engineers

[Dilbert]

normally I only make this when the local peaches are in season.
as an experiment in "will they still be good?" - last year year I bought a basket of ripe ready peaches, peeled, sliced and froze in a thin layer.

this is the completion of that experiment - and with a modern -10F' / -23'C freezer, it works quite well - the peaches are superb - not freezer mushy.
I did drain any free liquid prior to using in this recipe.

Peach Cobble

4 large or 5-6 smaller peaches, soft
peel, slice, macerate with 1/4 cup / 25 g white granulated sugar in fridge 2 hrs to overnight

pre-heat oven to 400'F / 205C'

melt 1/2 stick = 1/4 cup = 57 g of unsalted butter

in a bowl mix
1/2 cup / 65 g - AP flour
1 tsp / 5 g baking powder
1/4 cup (50 g) white sugar + one cup (210 g) brown sugar
pinch of salt
almond extract (2-3 ml) or nutmeg (optional)

when oven is ready, add 1/2 cup (118 ml / 119 g) milk to dry ingredients, mix

pour melted butter in 9 x 9 (23 x 23 cm) pan
pour batter into pan
add sliced peaches - arrange to cover entire pan

looks like


bake 25-35 minutes - batter should rise to top and brown
the batter should be a bit crusty - the brown sugar will make a 'near' caramel topping.

looks like:


a dollop of whip cream and you're set!

[Jim Cooley]

Thanks Dilbert. Looks easy, quick and deliciious.

[Jim Cooley]

Dilbert, Dood!


1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar = 156 grams by my scale, but you say

"one cup (105 g) brown sugar"


Could you have made a mistake?

[Dilbert]

brown sugar "packing" will affect it drastically - perhaps I didn't squish it so hard?

I see another mistake tho - granulated sugar runs 200 g/cup....
correcting . . . .

btw, did this last week with fresh blueberries - worked well. I used an entire pint (BOGOF) and I think I'd cut that back some.

[Jim Cooley]

I hate to complain but something went really wrong.

Only deviations from your recipe were using Safeway frozen peaches (which are quite good, BTW) and a 10" soufleé pan instead of a 9x9 baking dish.

The dough/cakey part didn't rise or expand at all -- just remained a soupy mess.


Not enough flour?

Too much sugar (way too sweet for me)

[Dilbert]

sounds like the baking powder may have been DOA...?

peaches completely thawed? drained - too much free liquid?

the batter is on the thin side, not like a biscuit or bread.

[Jim Cooley]

Baking powder was a freshly opened can, peaches thawed, macerated, drained.

I'll try again sometime with a little less butter, a lot less sugar and a little more flour.

[Dilbert]

dunno. it's never failed here.....

it would appear something is preventing the baking powder from doing it's thing....

[Jim Cooley]

Okay, I'll admit the baking powder had an expiration date of Nov 2013, but I only broke the factory seal when I made the cobbler.

Can baking powder go bad even if it's hermetically sealed?

I should probably buy a new can and perform an experiment. I wanted this to turn out good...

[Dilbert]

>>Nov '13

wouldn't be my first guess - but might be. storage conditions are a factor, even sealed.

the batter is so simple - flour, milk, baking powder & sugar.... mix & pour, not a lot to go wrong with "technique," etc.

one "way out" thing - if the peaches were "treated" for color preservation and what all else - and that chemical/additive interfered with the bp. most of the color preservatives are acid in nature, and acid makes baking powder go 'more better' - so somewhat an unlikely cause - which leaves the bp.

I'd go with some fresh bp. I date my cans when I open them and toss after six months regardless of it's 'use by date' - once opened they pick up moisture, etc. - and I'm not fond of opening the oven to find a flat . . .

[Michael Chu]

When I pack 1 cup brown sugar, I get closer to 220 g which is the USDA "standard" for 1 cup packed brown sugar. (White is 200 g and doesn't need to be packed.)

[Dilbert]

>>I get closer to 220 g

akkk. this full / half batch recipe thing is gonna drive me nuts.
yes, I'll edit the orig - should be 210g (by my measure) for a full cup of brown sugar.

[Jim Cooley]

LOL, this recipe is all over the place!

Oddly enough, I bought another package of Safeway frozen peaches yesterday to try it again. I note that ingredients list ascorbic, malic, and citric acids as "preservatives" and can confirm the peaches ARE rather tart.

Could this be counteracting the effect of the baking soda?

[Dilbert]

theory says no.

baking powder reacts with acids to go foamy.

old fashion single acting only foamed at acid blend.

new fangled double acting gases at acid blend plus stage 2 on heat.

[Jim Cooley]

Well, I'll try again in a few days.

I suspect the baking powder has gone off, but will adjust flour and sugar according to my sensibilities.

I did manage to scare up a Corning 9x9 just like yours, so we'll see how it comes out.