Bake The Fabulous - Juicy Peach Cake

Bake The Fabulous by Heidi

Juicy Peach Cake with a zingy Twist (by Heidi)

Do you know the feeling? Come Sunday and you are really in a baking kind of mood – but some ingredients are missing! What a bummer! My neighbours actually knocked on my door last Sunday and asked if they could borrow some eggs for a cake. Well, I just put my last three eggs into this one…

If you are not big on planning your bakery shopping either, this might be the perfect recipe for you. You don't need many ingredients. And those you need could just be sitting in your kitchen cupboard and your fridge.

As I rarely ever use butter in my everyday nutrition it was always the one ingredient missing for baking. Now I've made it quite a habit to buy a few packs regularly which I then store in the freezer.

I also make sure I never run out of flour, sugar or baking powder.

And don't underestimate the advantages of having a few glasses or cans of preserved fruit at home. Sweet cherries are always in my kitchen cupboard and so are peaches or pineapple. Let's get started with this juicy little number – just perfect for summer!

What you need for 1 Juicy Peach Cake with a zingy Twist

26cm cake tin + a little butter for greasing + a little flour fur dusting

(if you use a smaller tin you possibly need to extend the baking time – check with a wooden stick)

Icing sugar for dusting the cake

For the dough

3 medium sized egg yolks – at room temperature

155 g plain all-purpose flour  (sifted)

1 teaspoon baking powder

155g caster sugar

175g butter – at room temperature

Zest (finely grated) of 1 medium sized organic lemon (you don't want nasty chemicals in your cake)

Zest (finely grated) of 1/2 organic orange

80g medium fat curd or yogurt

For the topping

1 can (400g) peaches/nectarines or apricots

you can alternatively use 3-4 fresh peaches, depending on size

To serve (For those of you who want to go OTT)

200 ml single cream or double cream

1 table spoon vanilla sugar

Zest (finely grated) of 1/2 organic orange

Time in the oven @ 155°C (Fan)

55 minutes

1. Butter 'n' eggs – a match made in baking-hell?!

One thing I don't like about using butter and eggs at room temperature is that I literally always forget to take them out of the fridge in time. My baking urge always comes too spontaneously. Well, this time I did take them out in time. The eggs actually already the night before and the butter (from the fridge) 3 hours prior to baking. But still, they didn't blend well together in the dough. When that happens I usually place the bowl in a pot with warm water for a couple of minutes and then whisk it up again. This usually does the trick. But this time I just couldn't be bothered (it was too early in the morning)… and surprisingly it didn't really make a difference to the cake's fluffy texture.

If you know a trick or two how to really get butter and eggs to have the same room temperature – please let me know!

2. Be a Prep-Queen

I am always more relaxed when I have all my ingredients and tools prepared before I start mixing the dough.

Preheat your oven.

Grease your cake tin with butter. I always use kitchen paper to hold the butter – I don't like my fingers all buttery. Put 1 table spoon of flour in your tin and shake the tin from side to side to get it covered evenly (also on the sides)

Weigh the butter, sugar, flour, curd/yogurt and put in separate bowls. Mix flour and baking powder together and sift.

I also like to break the eggs open into a bowl before I put them in the dough – just in case one is dodgy.

Drain your canned peaches (keep some juice – should the dough get a little dry it comes in handy) and slice them. If you are using fresh fruit you can leave the skin on. But if you feel like being an overachiever – dip them in boiling water and peel off the skin.

Zest the lemon and orange just before you are ready to go as it loses its flavor when it dries. Zesting can be quite a pain in the … but I have this amazing new zester – Christmas present from my lovely mom. It is from a company called Microplane and is sharp as hell – I really have to watch my fingers! It is also amazing for grating parmesan or ginger (I loooove fresh ginger tea).

3. Whisk up a swirl...

Put the sugar, flour mix and zest into a bowl and mix with an electric mixer until the sugar has dissolved (the finer the sugar you are using the quicker it dissolves) and until the texture is creamy and very light in colour. This will take up to 8 minutes – and again, I cannot thank my Kitchen Aid enough for doing the job for me.

Add one egg at a time and whisk thoroughly in between.

Now add the flour-baking-powder-mix and the curd/yogurt and mix until all is evenly combined (20 seconds should be enough).

With the help of a spatula spoon the dough into your cake tin. The peach slices go on top of it in whatever fashion you like – neat or messy arrangement – whatever suits your mood.

4. The Grand Finale

Check with a wooden skewer or chop stick if the cake's done (there should be no dough on your stick when you pull it out). Leave to cool in the tin. But if you cannot wait to taste it – take it out right away and let it cool at least a little while on a wire rack.

Should you feel like indulging completely whip up the single cream with an electric mixer and slowly add the vanilla sugar while doing so. Once the cream is whipped add the orange zest and combine. If you are using double cream just add the vanilla sugar and zest and mix well.

Now serve with your cake! Mhhhhhhh…..

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