Whenever I buy peaches, however careful I am I never seem to be able to get them all home without bruising some. Honeyed Peach Torte is a great way to use any bruised peaches up. It is essentially a reverse upside-down cake, with the fruit being pushed into the batter rather than having the batter spooned over it. This cake works wonderfully with juicy fruits like peaches - their juices seep into the cake as it cooks. Delish! In the recipe, I have given you the classic method of making the batter, as in creaming together the butter and sugar, adding the eggs one by one, and so on, but I'm going to let you into a little secret: if the butter is very soft, you don't need to do this. Just put all the batter ingredients together in a bowl and beat them all together, no muss, no fuss. The crumb will be a little heavier, but for a homey dessert cake like this, it really doesn't matter. It tastes just as good!
AuthorAnn Ogden GaffneyWith a spatula, spoon the cake batter into the prepared tin and gently smooth it towards the sides. It doesn't matter if it doesn't quite reach as the cake will puff up and fill in as it bakes. Take the peach slices and push them into the cake batter until they are all used up.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Fully line an 8" cake tin with parchment paper. Set aside.
Cut the peaches in half. Remove the stones and cut each half into 4 pieces. Set aside in a bowl. In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl using a hand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until pale, light, and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time. When incorporated, beat in the vanilla. Gradually sift the flour mixture into the bowl a tablespoon at a time, beating as you go. When it is all used up you will have a thick pale batter that should drop easily from a spoon. If it doesn't, add the juices from the cut peaches to the bowl and beat it in, and, if needed, beat in a tablespoon of milk.
With a spatula, spoon the cake batter into the prepared tin and gently smooth it towards the sides. It doesn't matter if it doesn't quite reach as the cake will puff up and fill in as it bakes. Take the peach slices and push them into the cake in a spiral until they are all used up. Again, it doesn't have to be perfect. Bake in the center of the oven for 35-40 minutes or until well risen, golden, puffy, and a toothpick comes out clean. Set on a rack in the tin to cool for 10 minutes
To honey the cake: Just before the cake is due to come out of the oven, put a jar of honey into a bowl of boiling hot water. This will thin and liquidize the honey. After the cake has cooled for 10 minutes, use the parchment paper lining to lift it out of the tin and onto a plate, fruit side up. Using a tablespoon measure, drizzle the thinned honey all over the top of the cake. The warm cake will absorb it as you pour. I recommend using about 3 tablespoons, but you can add the honey to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.
To peel the peaches: Put enough water to cover the fruit into a saucepot. Bring to a boil. Fill a bowl with iced water. Set aside.
Drop the peaches into the boiling water. After 30 seconds to a minute, the skins will become dull. Using tongs, transfer the peaches to the iced water. After the ice bath, the skins should slough off easily. Set the peeled peaches aside on a plate until needed.
This same method works for tomatoes.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350F. Fully line an 8" cake tin with parchment paper. Set aside.
Cut the peaches in half. Remove the stones and cut each half into 4 pieces. Set aside in a bowl. In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl using a hand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until pale, light, and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time. When incorporated, beat in the vanilla. Gradually sift the flour mixture into the bowl a tablespoon at a time, beating as you go. When it is all used up you will have a thick pale batter that should drop easily from a spoon. If it doesn't, add the juices from the cut peaches to the bowl and beat it in, and, if needed, beat in a tablespoon of milk.
With a spatula, spoon the cake batter into the prepared tin and gently smooth it towards the sides. It doesn't matter if it doesn't quite reach as the cake will puff up and fill in as it bakes. Take the peach slices and push them into the cake in a spiral until they are all used up. Again, it doesn't have to be perfect. Bake in the center of the oven for 35-40 minutes or until well risen, golden, puffy, and a toothpick comes out clean. Set on a rack in the tin to cool for 10 minutes
To honey the cake: Just before the cake is due to come out of the oven, put a jar of honey into a bowl of boiling hot water. This will thin and liquidize the honey. After the cake has cooled for 10 minutes, use the parchment paper lining to lift it out of the tin and onto a plate, fruit side up. Using a tablespoon measure, drizzle the thinned honey all over the top of the cake. The warm cake will absorb it as you pour. I recommend using about 3 tablespoons, but you can add the honey to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.
To peel the peaches: Put enough water to cover the fruit into a saucepot. Bring to a boil. Fill a bowl with iced water. Set aside.
Drop the peaches into the boiling water. After 30 seconds to a minute, the skins will become dull. Using tongs, transfer the peaches to the iced water. After the ice bath, the skins should slough off easily. Set the peeled peaches aside on a plate until needed.
This same method works for tomatoes.
