I'm not sure about where you live, but here on the east coast of the United States, we get all four seasons of the year. Sometimes we tend to skip over fall and go straight to winter, or sometimes the winters are so mild that it seems like an extended fall season. Regardless, it's near impossible to get fresh, seasonal fruits year-round. That is when I normally head to my grocery store's freezer section.
Many of you may know that frozen fruits and vegetables provide just as many nutrients and vitamins as their freshly-picked friends. But did you know that canned fruits and vegetables can also be in this same category? Here is a recent study that Oregon State recently published about the benefits of canned California cling peaches. The researchers actually concluded that canned peaches were better than fresh fruit. Wow, huh? (You just need to be careful that the canned fruits are not packed in a heavy sugar syrup.)
So I put the canned California cling peaches to the test. I had some apples left over from my apple picking day at work and wanted to incorporate them into whatever recipe I ended up baking. I found this chunky peach and apple snack cake and thought that it would be perfect for breakfast.
I baked one 8x8 inch pan and 12 muffins with the recipe below. I wanted to be able to share the muffins with friends and keep the cake for ourselves. The muffins were really good - I could barely taste the difference with the white whole wheat flour, and I loved the chunks of apples and peaches. I would recommend adding more fruit if that's your thing. Another change I'd recommend is swapping out some of the white sugar with brown sugar so you can have a more caramel-y flavor to your muffins/cake. If you want to make these even healthier, you could try substituting the melted butter with more coconut oil. Overall, these were very yummy, and the canned peaches passed the test.
And now for the giveaway...
One lucky winner will receive a California cling peach prize pack (say that 10 times fast!), which includes some canned California cling peaches, a reusable grocery bag and a plush "peach pal." All you need to do is enter via the Rafflecopter widget below. Please be patient since the widget may load slowly. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclaimer: The California Cling Peaches Board provided me with some product samples and the prizes for the giveaway. I did not receive any additional compensation for this post. All thoughts, opinions and reviews are 100% my own.
Chunky peach and apple snack cake
- 1 large apple, peeled, cored and diced
- 1 and 1/2 cups chopped fresh, frozen or canned peaches
- 2 TBSP sugar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (I used white whole wheat)
- 1 cup whole grain wheat or spelt (I used white whole wheat)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- zest of 1 orange (I omitted)
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
- 4 eggs
- 1 and 1/3 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan (alternatively, you can bake this in two 8x8 inch pans or in a muffin pan). Set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl, toss the apples and peaches with the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
In a separate medium-sized bowl, mix together the orange juice, orange zest, butter, coconut oil, eggs, sugar and vanilla.
Add the orange juice mixture into the dry ingredients (the flour mixture) and stir until just incorporated - do not over mix. Gently fold in the apples and peaches.
Transfer the batter to your prepared pans. If you are baking muffins, fill them 2/3 full.
If baking in the 8x8 or 9x13 inch baking pans, bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
If baking muffins, bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove the muffins/cake from the oven and allow them to cool before serving.
Cake/muffins should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature and will keep for about 3-5 days.
Yield: One 9x13 inch pan, two 8x8 inch pans, or about 2 dozen muffins.
Source: Hearth and Hospitality
I'm not sure about where you live, but here on the east coast of the United States, we get all four seasons of the year. Sometimes we tend to skip over fall and go straight to winter, or sometimes the winters are so mild that it seems like an extended fall season. Regardless, it's near impossible to get fresh, seasonal fruits year-round. That is when I normally head to my grocery store's freezer section.
Many of you may know that frozen fruits and vegetables provide just as many nutrients and vitamins as their freshly-picked friends. But did you know that canned fruits and vegetables can also be in this same category? Here is a recent study that Oregon State recently published about the benefits of canned California cling peaches. The researchers actually concluded that canned peaches were better than fresh fruit. Wow, huh? (You just need to be careful that the canned fruits are not packed in a heavy sugar syrup.)
So I put the canned California cling peaches to the test. I had some apples left over from my apple picking day at work and wanted to incorporate them into whatever recipe I ended up baking. I found this chunky peach and apple snack cake and thought that it would be perfect for breakfast.
I baked one 8x8 inch pan and 12 muffins with the recipe below. I wanted to be able to share the muffins with friends and keep the cake for ourselves. The muffins were really good - I could barely taste the difference with the white whole wheat flour, and I loved the chunks of apples and peaches. I would recommend adding more fruit if that's your thing. Another change I'd recommend is swapping out some of the white sugar with brown sugar so you can have a more caramel-y flavor to your muffins/cake. If you want to make these even healthier, you could try substituting the melted butter with more coconut oil. Overall, these were very yummy, and the canned peaches passed the test.
And now for the giveaway...
One lucky winner will receive a California cling peach prize pack (say that 10 times fast!), which includes some canned California cling peaches, a reusable grocery bag and a plush "peach pal." All you need to do is enter via the Rafflecopter widget below. Please be patient since the widget may load slowly. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclaimer: The California Cling Peaches Board provided me with some product samples and the prizes for the giveaway. I did not receive any additional compensation for this post. All thoughts, opinions and reviews are 100% my own.
Chunky peach and apple snack cake
- 1 large apple, peeled, cored and diced
- 1 and 1/2 cups chopped fresh, frozen or canned peaches
- 2 TBSP sugar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (I used white whole wheat)
- 1 cup whole grain wheat or spelt (I used white whole wheat)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- zest of 1 orange (I omitted)
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
- 4 eggs
- 1 and 1/3 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan (alternatively, you can bake this in two 8x8 inch pans or in a muffin pan). Set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl, toss the apples and peaches with the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
In a separate medium-sized bowl, mix together the orange juice, orange zest, butter, coconut oil, eggs, sugar and vanilla.
Add the orange juice mixture into the dry ingredients (the flour mixture) and stir until just incorporated - do not over mix. Gently fold in the apples and peaches.
Transfer the batter to your prepared pans. If you are baking muffins, fill them 2/3 full.
If baking in the 8x8 or 9x13 inch baking pans, bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
If baking muffins, bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove the muffins/cake from the oven and allow them to cool before serving.
Cake/muffins should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature and will keep for about 3-5 days.
Yield: One 9x13 inch pan, two 8x8 inch pans, or about 2 dozen muffins.
Source: Hearth and Hospitality
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