Sunday 25 October 2009

Peach and raspberry traybake


I know this isn’t exactly seasonal but I fancied something that had a little bit of summer about it; luckily I also have a long-standing fondness for tinned peaches.

This dish works well as a companion to a cup of tea or as a dessert. I made two – one for the CCBF (Caked Crusader’s Boyfriend) which we had a slice of at room temperature with thick cream, and one for family Sunday lunch dessert which we had warm with custard. I recommend both! It’s squidgier warm and firmer cool but both textures are pleasing – I think that’s because the addition of ground almond always gives a bit of va va voom to a cake!

Here it is as an afternoon tea cake:

Here it is as a dessert - maybe because I've eaten it both ways I can see that the warm version looks a little softer and crumblier; not sure the photos prove it though:

Both ways of serving highlight the soft sweetness of the peaches. I love tinned peaches – all the work is done for you and the slices are perfect and smooth; they are one of the few fruits where I prefer using tinned to fresh – actually, thinking about it, they are possibly the only one. Any other suggestions where you prefer using the tinned fruit to fresh?

The sweet peach works well with the slightly tart raspberry and the almond adds subtle richness.

Ingredients:

250g unsalted butter
300g golden caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
200g self raising flour
50g ground almonds
4 ripe peaches (or use tinned peaches), cut into slices
100g raspberries
handful of flaked almonds

To serve: your choice of ice cream, custard or cream

Method:

- Preheat the oven to 180˚C/160˚C fan/350˚F/gas mark 4

- Grease and line a traybake tin or roasting tin measuring 20cm x 30cm

- Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat. Cool for 5 minutes.

- Stir in the sugar, vanilla and eggs then beat until smooth.

- Stir in the flour and ground almonds.

- Tip the mix into the prepared tin and scatter the raspberries over the top – push them into the batter a little to stop them burning.

- Lay the peach slices evenly on the top and scatter the flaked almonds over the them.

- Bake for anything from 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes and cover with foil after 40 minutes if the top is cooking too quickly i.e. turning dark brown – mine didn’t need this.

- When a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out only a little squidgy, remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin. The cake firms as it cools.

- Serve either warm for dessert with custard or ice cream, or at room temperature with whipped cream.

- You can bake a day in advance and reheat when required – cover with foil and bake on a low temperature just to warm it through; you don’t want it steaming hot.

- Bask in the glory of the wonderful thing you have created.

- Eat.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous as ever! I love cake-and-fruit, fruit-and-cake, and fruit-cake - you can't go wrong! Though maybe a little cream on the side too...

Rosie of BooksAndBakes

Chats the Comfy Cook said...

I adore peaches and when a fruit that I just like is added to it, I love both fruits. That is how I feel about raspberries. I like them but they are not in the top ten. This looks like it works together and I am going to put it on my list but I am not sure when I will get to it.

The problem with blogging is that we see too many good recipes. You have your share right here, on the blog.

Maggie said...

You certainly know how to keep your boyfriend! Peaches and raspberries always work well together. Love the traybake.
Upside down pudding with tinned pineapple works a treat, Jamie and Nigella both use tinned pears and I love peach halves with a dollop of ice cream.

Cakelaw said...

Delicious Crusader - the peach and raspberry combination is fabulous.

trash said...

Mmmmyummy. I find tinned peaches work better most of the time than fresh ones.

Rhyleysgranny said...

Those look just lovely. Gorgeous pics too

Katie said...

Looks absolutely delicious. I have a fondness for tinned peaches too, I find they often taste better than the fresh ones we get. Looks lovely and moist

Anonymous said...

looks good!! presumably you use 1 tin of peaches? an interesting combination I wouldn't have thought of !! made the apple and sultana cake it was very good! for some reason the rolo cake I did didn't have pieces of rolo in it and it wasn't flat on top like yours, it was still very good though but not as good as yours!! Nikki

The Caked Crusader said...

Hi Nikki

I probably used a little under a standard tin of sliced peaches for each one I made. It probably amounted to about 16 slices of peach (if that helps!)

The only reason I can think why you didn't get little chunks of rolo in the cake is perhaps you cut it too finely? I'm sure it added a lovely element to the taste though!

silverpebble said...

This looks like an absolute surefire winner. I want to make it.Very much.

Dee said...

Yay, for tinned peaches! Seriously, the fresh peaches we get in Malaysia are rubbish. The cake sounds amazing. I'll have a slice, with custard thanks!

Lisa said...

In a nutshell here is one comment that encapsulates an hour's catching-up on your blog:

Bliss.

Oh how I've missed you. :)

Rylan said...

Those are stunninly delicious! I've never seen anything like this and this is definitely something I'd want to put in my to do list. Thanks for sharing.

Caroline said...

Looks great! I like tinned peaches too - there's just something about the texture that's really rather nice! Peaches and raspberries are a great combo too!

Other tinned fruit - apricots (or is that cheating as they're so similar!) and tinned pears - again I think it's a texture thing, love them. They also don't go over-ripe and squishy in a tin ;-)