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.