This is Award Winning Peaches and Cream Pie, from allrecipes. com.  I like recipe sites that let you read comments by other cooks, don’t you?

I made this last year by doubling the recipe and baking it in a 10 x 14 pan.  Banjo Man raved about it, but I was in the middle of peach pies and raspberry pies and blueberry cakes and didn’t pay much attention to his comments.  The dessert went to a pot luck and I never thought about it again until last week.

This time I doubled the recipe and used  8″ and 9″ springform pans.  I also cut out circles of parchment paper and lined the bottoms of the pan.  I wanted a fancier looking dessert, one that I could put on a cake pedestal after a special dinner.

So here’s my version:

BOTTOM LAYER:

3/4 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 (3 ounce) package non-instant vanilla pudding mix

3 tablespoons butter, softened

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

PEACH LAYER:   6 fresh peaches, peeled, sliced and drained in a colander (save the juice).  I sprinkle lemon juice (1/2 TBS) and 3 TBS sugar over the peaches, toss and let sit while I make the cake.

TOP LAYER:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3 TBS peach juice
1/2 cup white sugar

SPRINKLE:   1/2 tablespoon white sugar,  1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (this is half what the original recipe calls for, and next time I make this I may omit it).

As you can see, this is a 4-bowl cake and makes a kitchen counter look like Hell’s Kitchen.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease sides and bottom of an 8″ or  9″ springform pan.  Cut parchment paper in a circle to fit, and grease.

Mix together flour, salt, baking powder and dry pudding mix.  Add butter, egg and milk. Beat for 2 minutes. Pour mixture into pan. Arrange the peach slices on top of the pudding mixture.

In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add 1/2 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons reserved peach juice . Beat for 2 minutes. Spoon mixture over peaches to within 1 inch of pan edge.  Optional:  Mix together sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle over top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown.  Cool on a rack, of course, then carefully (you may need to use a knife if the sides stick) remove the sides of the pan.  Chill before serving.