Pake by any other name…

When I was a kid, we had a huge loganberry bush growing along the fence row beside my house. Enormous, sweet, juicy purple berries. On warm summer mornings, I would sneak out of the house and eat my fill, only to be ratted out by the dark stains on my fingers and clothes.

On occasion, when I could resist eating every berry I picked, my mom would make cobbler. But not just any cobbler. She called it ‘pake,’ a cross between pie and cake.

Traditionally, the recipe is closer to a cake-like buckle than a cobbler, which is more similar to pie.

I like this recipe because it’s not only easy, but versatile. You can use just about any type of fruit, and it’s just as delicious. I’ve used berries, apples, cherries… or any combination.

This version uses fresh peaches, which are in abundance around here. I peel my peaches, but you don’t necessarily have to. The ingredients are simple, and most likely already in your pantry.

The pake bakes up around the fruit, creating a soft center and a crispy topping. Not too sweet, it’s a nice compliment to the peaches.

Peach Pake

4 Tablespoons butter
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
¾ milk
2 cups sliced fresh peaches*
1 Tablespoon sugar

* 2 cups fresh berries, or 12oz. of frozen berries, can be substituted for peaches

Preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC)

Place butter in an 8-inch square casserole dish, or  9-inch round pie pan, place in oven to melt. When butter is melted, removed from oven.

Mix together flour, ¾ cup of sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk in milk until smooth.

Pour batter over melted butter, then spread cut fruit over batter. Sprinkle with remaining sugar.

Bake until top is golden brown and bubbly ~ 50-60 minutes.

Serve warm.

This recipe is also delicious using fresh blueberries.

* repost – originally published 7/12/10 at IMSO