Peachy Peach Cake

Peachy Peach Cake

Dorcas Annette Walker

The peaches in my orchard are ripening causing the branches to hang heavy with fruit. I go out daily to check the status of the fruit anxiously waiting my first taste of a fresh peach. June signals the start of the canning season that will last into the fall. The month of June is also a peak season for weddings. My husband and I were married on a June evening in a candle-light ceremony thirty-two years ago in the college chapel where Dana was enrolled.

I should have read the signs that marriage to Dana would be far from ordinary when, as guest began to arrive for our wedding, a gang of motorcycles decided to rip and roar through the campus. The local police were called and arrived to the scene with lights blinking and siren’s blaring. My poor mother was a nervous wreck as we watched the chase from an upper window. Thankfully things settled down and the ceremony went off without a hitch. At the last minute, due to someone double-booking events at the local community center we had arranged for the wedding reception, we had to move the reception to another nearby town. That morning we decorated an upstairs’ room thankful to have found a last minute spot. Unbeknown to us a Boy Scout carnival was also scheduled for that evening. We arrived at our wedding reception making a grand entrance in front of the entire community. By then my dear mother was ready for a nervous breakdown after trying to corral wedding guests upstairs for the reception among the milling crowd who had come for carnival. Whether it was from the extreme heat from cooking that had been done in the kitchen underneath all day, or the fact that reality hit the groom, Dana nearly passed out at the reception. Outside the band serenaded everyone with love songs including, The Fight Is On, as wedding guests and the carnival blended together.

Thirty-two years later life is still full of the unexpected. My husband decided to expand our farm buying two goats to raise for meat. He kept talking about trying to raise a calf or a milk cow, but thankfully we don’t have enough pasture land for such an endeavor. I had just relaxed when he came up with the idea of goats. That is how Billy Boy and Bessie entered our lives. Since the fence for the pen wasn’t completed, Dana tied the two goats up in the orchard while he and a friend of his finished the fence. Both goats looked adorable with soft brown eyes; Bessie has matching brown fur while Billy Boy’s fur is brown and white. Our two half-grown goats were quite contented until it came time to move them to the pen. Dana tried to lead them, but we quickly discovered that goats don’t believe in following sedately behind so I was positioned in the rear to help move them along. Billy Boy began kicking up his heels and voicing his protests loudly. Our chocolate lab decided to turn into a sheepdog and help. Unfortunately, since Sandy had never herded sheep before she ran at them from the front and sides adding her voice to the confusion. While Dana worked at unwinding Billy Boy’s rope from around his knees and hollering directions at me, I struggled with Bessie, who tried to drag me in the opposite direction. The dust flew and chaos reigned. We had all the makings of a rodeo. Halfway to the pen Bessie flopped down on the ground and refused to budge another inch. By then I was ready to join her. At last we succeeded in getting Billy Boy and Bessie into the pen. Since I’m out of space next week I’ll tell you how our goats helped us celebrate our anniversary.

My Peachy Peach Cake can be made year round, but is especially delicious made with fresh peaches. The Peachy Peach Cake is a cool crunchy summery dessert set off by the tang of fresh peaches. Preparation time for my Peachy Peach Cake is fifteen minutes and this recipe serves twelve.

Peachy Peach Cake

In a medium sized bowl cut margarine into the cake mix until it becomes coarse crumbs:
1 yellow cake mix
1 stick of margarine
Pour into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish.

Then mix together:
1 (16 oz) container sour cream
2 eggs
Slice and chop 4 fresh peaches or1 quart of peaches drained
Pour over crumb mixture. Sprinkle on cinnamon and bake at 350º for 30 minutes. Let cool and then spread over top:
1 (8 oz) container cool whip
Garnish with sliced peaches and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve!

Weekly tip: When using fresh fruit for a garnish lightly coat the slices of the fruit with lemon juice to help the fruit retain its color!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, syndicated columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net For more information check out: www.dorcasannettewalker.com