Ingredients
| 200g unsalted butter, softened | |
| 200g brown sugar plus 2 tablespoons extra | |
| 1 teaspoon vanilla extract | |
| 3 large eggs, room temperature | |
| 250g self-raising flour | |
| ¼ teaspoon baking soda | |
| 2 teaspoons mixed spice | |
| 1 teaspoon cinnamon | |
| ½ teaspoon salt | |
| 250g sour cream | |
| 3-4 ripe peaches, cut into thin slices, about 400g |
Here is a cake so loaded with fruit that it ‘buckles’ under the pressure. Summer peaches go perfectly with spices but in winter you could equally use apple or pear.
Serve it as a cake or for dessert with yoghurt, cream or ice cream. It’s full of the flavour of speculaas spices including cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves, so I find a mixed spice, with a little extra cinnamon works well to achieve the flavour here. You can use drained canned peach slices if you prefer.
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Instructions
| 1. | Heat the oven to 180°C. |
| 2. | Scrunch up a large piece of baking paper and use it to line a 23cm springform cake tin. |
| 3. | Put the butter and 200g brown sugar in a large bowl and mix until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes – do it by hand with a sturdy whisk or use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. |
| 4. | Whisk in the vanilla and the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. |
| 5. | Sift the flour, baking soda, mixed spice, cinnamon and salt into a bowl and mix well. |
| 6. | Add half of the flour mixture and half the sour cream to the butter/sugar mixture and give it a few whisks. |
| 7. | If using a stand mixer, be sure not to over whisk the mixture once the flour goes in. |
| 8. | Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the remaining flour and sour cream and slowly whisk until just mixed. |
| 9. | Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, arrange the peach slices over the top and sprinkle with the 2 tablespoons brown sugar. |
| 10. | Bake for 60-70 minutes until a skewer comes out of the centre clean. |
| 11. | Cool on a rack. |
| 12. | Serve warm or at room temperature with yoghurt, cream or ice cream. |
Recipes & food styling Fiona Smith Photography Aaron McLean Styling Fiona Smith & Aaron McLean