Caramelised Peach Cake

Almost all of the fruits and vegetables I buy are sourced from within Britain. This respect for locally produced, quality ingredients helps keep my kitchen frugal and fresh. But very occasionally, this rule is broken – as rules are made to be – and a certain item will tempt me across the Channel and into Europe. The doughnut peaches in my Caramelised Peach Cake were too much to refuse.

The doughnut peach is a relatively new craze in Britain. Flatter, sweeter and with almost nutty notes of flavour, they lend themselves better to almost all applications than a good ol’ “regular” peach. Even their skin is thinner and more pleasant, making their unadulterated form a fine choice.

One particularly popular use for the doughnut peach, given its sweetness, is in everyone’s favourite Italian fruit cocktail; the Bellini. But let’s not end our affiliation with such a fine juicy fruit just yet. Especially not when it makes such a fine addition to a delicately flavoured almond sponge. The peach is, after all, a distant cousin of the almond; a perfect pairing.

My recipe for caramelised peach cake itself is an excruciatingly simple one; delicately flavoured, but rustic all the same. There are no fancy frills. Who needs ‘em? Simply a delicious, moist sponge filled with decadently prepared fruit of the highest order. In need of icing? Look elsewhere!

Caramelised Peach Cake

Makes 1 tray cake (22x22cm)

Ingredients:

for the sponge:

• 180g butter, softened
• 150g caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tbsp ground almonds, heaped
• 1 tbsp sour cream
• 180g self-raising flour

for the peaches:

• 4 doughnut peaches, in rough chunks
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 25g butter

Method:

1. Melt the butter in a non-stick frying pan. Once melted, stir through the sugar and cook until you have achieved a golden-brown caramel.
2. Add the peaches and cook for a few minutes, until the fruit has taken on some of the caramel colour. Set aside.
3. Preheat the oven to 190C/170C(fan). Grease and line a 22x22cm square baking tin.
4. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Incorporate the eggs one by one, before stirring through the almonds and sour cream.
5. Gently fold the flour through the batter. Transfer half of the cake mixture to the prepared tin and spoon in half of the peaches.
6. Add the remaining cake batter to the top of the peaches and press any remaining fruit into the surface.
7. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Once cooked through, leave the cake to cool for 10 minutes before turning out and allowing to cool completely.

Cost: Now we’re getting into summer doughnut peaches can be bought for relatively little. We managed to pick up 12 for £1.50! That means that this delicious caramelised peach cake shouldn’t set you back much more than £2.70.