Peaches and Cream Cake with Mary Oliver

It’s that time of year – stone fruit season! Peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries, apricots…I love them all. They’re wonderful to eat fresh, of course, but they also make some of the best baked goods. One of my favorite ways to use them is in pie (like this Peach Ginger Pie and this Plum Slab Pie), but sometimes, perfectly ripe and juicy fruits call for something simpler. This Peaches and Cream cake is one of those recipes – two quick and easy cake layers, whipped cream, and fresh peaches.

I mean, just look at these beauties I picked up recently – have you ever seen such gorgeous peaches? They deserve to be in the spotlight, and this cake provides the perfect backdrop for them.

Wild and Precious Life

Speaking of keeping things simple, the other day I re-read this poem by Mary Oliver (see below). Actually, I’m not sure I’ve ever read the whole thing before, but I know I’ve heard the last line quoted over and over again, usually to inspire the reader to do bigger, better things with their life. Typically the gist is, “Stop all this lying around and start hustling!” or “Life’s short – hurry up and DO SOMETHING IMPORTANT already!”

To be honest, I’ve always hated that line because of that. I realize it’s generally meant to be inspiring, but to me it just feels like a lot of pressure – and I hate being pressured.

But here’s the thing: if you read the poem in its entirety, it’s not about hustling or doing big, important things AT ALL. The speaker is literally strolling through the fields, watching a grasshopper do its thing, and contemplating the natural world.

Many of us (in the Western world anyway) would probably see this as lazy and a waste of time. Or maybe we’d think of it as a fine thing to do for a couple of hours on a Sunday, or on vacation, or on a quick break from “hustling”, but we certainly wouldn’t see it as a crucial part of life.

Idle and Blessed…with Cake

My favorite line is “Tell me, what else should I have done?”. It comes off as a challenge, as if the speaker is saying, “What could be more important than this??” I’m not saying we shouldn’t do big things, change the world, even “hustle” if that’s what you feel you’re made for. I just think we also need to take time to really soak in the good stuff in life – friends, family, nature, music, art, good food, long naps….whatever it is that fills you up and gives you the energy to go out and live the rest of your life.

It seems to me that this poem is ultimately about slowing down, paying attention, and finding joy in the small things…like fresh peaches and whipped cream on a cake.

I hope you enjoy this cake – may it give you the opportunity to “be idle and blessed”, at least for a few minutes.