I line the buttered pans with buttered wax paper, then flour them, to make unmolding the cakes easy after baking.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 10 servings

　　

For the cake:

3/4 cup softened unsalted butter plus more for greasing the pans

　　1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar

　　3 eggs

　　1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

　　Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

　　1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

　　2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

　　1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

　　1/2 teaspoon salt

　　1 1/2 cups buttermilk

　　4 pounds ripe peaches

　　2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

　　2 1/2 tablespoons sugar

　　2 cups heavy cream

　　1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

　　Raspberry Melba Sauce

　　

Step 1

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch cake pans. Line the bottoms with wax paper and butter the paper; dust the pans with flour.

　　

Step 2

2. Cream the 3/4 cup butter and sugars in a mixing bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla, lemon zest, and juice.

　　

Step 3

3. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt; add to mixture in the bowl, alternating with buttermilk, to make batter.

　　

Step 4

4. Scrape batter into the pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Cool the cakes in their pans on a rack for 15 minutes, then turn them out onto the rack, peel off wax paper, and cool completely.

　　

Step 5

5. Shortly before serving, peel, pit, and slice the peaches. Toss with lemon juice and 1 tablespoon sugar; set aside for 15 minutes.

　　

Step 6

6. Whip the cream with the vanilla and the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar until it holds soft peaks.

　　

Step 7

7. Place one cake on a serving platter; spread with half the cream, then half the peaches. Cover with second cake, spread with most of the remaining cream and top with remaining peaches. Top with a dollop of cream and, if desired, a mint sprig. Serve immediately, with the Raspberry Melba Sauce on the side or drizzled over the cake.

　　

Nutrition Per Serving

Per serving: 651 calories

　　82g carbohydrates

　　9g protein

　　34g fat

　　167mg cholesterol.

　　#### Nutritional analysis provided by New Wellness

　　Richmond

　　Va.