I started this blog in July 2009, so I guess this is sort of a blog birthday post?! I can’t believe it’s been 17 years. I’ve felt less interested in baking in the last few years, but this summer I felt something slowly shifting – I’ve been dreaming up flavour combinations, thinking of which flowers to use for cake decorating… It feels like the good old days of blogging again! I’m not sure if anyone reads blogs anymore, but it doesn’t really matter. I still like sharing! I’ve also started baking at home again, where I have a very limited amount of props and it actually feels kind of freeing. I’m not spending hours trying to perfect a styled scene, I’m just using the few pieces I have which is why I’ve been using the same spoon in my last three posts. I started putting too much pressure on myself which completely took the pleasure out of it.
As you can imagine, there has been a lot of cake in my house lately. We ate this cake in two days, between the two of us. I absolutely LOVED the addition of the lavender infused cream. I have lavender growing just outside, and I always make sure to pick some to dry. I might just make a lavender gin sour next!
Peach Cake with Lemon and Almond Paste + Lavender Infused Cream
Ingredients
Cake
- 150 g salted butter (1 1/3 stick)
- 75 ml milk (1/3 cup)
- 2 to 3 fresh peaches
- Juice from 1/2 lemon
- 180 g all purpose flour (1 1/2 cup)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp flaky salt
- 170 g granulated sugar (3/4 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp)
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 150 g almond paste, finely grated
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
Lavender Infused Cream
- 300 ml heavy whipping cream (1 1/4 cup)
- 2 tbsp dried lavender (culinary grade)
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease a 23 cm (9 inch) springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Lightly dust the sides of the pan with flour.
- In a saucepan, melt the butter and add the milk. Set aside to cool completely.
- Wash, pit and slice the peaches. Place the slices in a bowl, squeeze lemon juice over and gently toss to cover with juice. Set aside while you prepare the cake batter.
- Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the sugar and eggs until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the grated almond paste.
- Pour the cooled butter mixture into the egg mixture and stir until combined. Add the dry ingredients, vanilla and lemon zest and stir until the batter is smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and place the peach slices on top. Sprinkle with 2 tsp sugar. Bake the cake in the middle of the oven for 45-55 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean with only a few crumbs. Tent the cake with aluminum foil or parchment paper if the cake is browning too much.
- Let the cake cool for 15 minutes inside the springform pan before releasing the outer ring. Let cool completely.
Lavender Infused Cream
- In a saucepan, combine the cream with the lavender buds. Heat the mixture until hot, but not quite simmering. Remove from the heat and cover the pan. Leave to infuse for about 30 minutes – then strain and chill until ready to use.
- Whip the cream in a cold bowl until soft peaks form and serve it with the cake.
Notes
