Right around this time a year ago, I got back from my amazing trip to Turkey. Thanks to the booking website that we used, I still get very prompt reminders of my itinerary in my inbox : 361 days ago, you boarded a flight from Antalya; 363 days ago, you had an upset stomach after eating too many simits.. I’m still contemplating between creepy and amusing.
Speaking of Turkey though, oranges and stone-fruit were in season at the time that we went. You’d find endless street carts piled high with fruit : oranges, peaches, nectarines, apricots, and my favourite, cherries. Red, glossy and so inviting. The peaches were not like anything I’d ever tasted before – sweet, succulent, and incredibly peach-y. I wasn’t aware of how good they could taste until I sunk my teeth into one..delicious!
But let’s be realistic; the ones you find here in Chennai are a far cry from those plumptious beauties. These are small and rock-hard, and cooking them is the only way to go. I think this recipe does a really good job of bringing out its hidden peachiness in the best way that it possibly could. It’s beginning to feel real.
* I used only half the amount of sugar that the recipe called for, and did a demerara-white sugar combo. The nuttiness of the demerara really comes through and enhances the flavour of the peaches.
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup demerara sugar
- ¼ cup granulated white sugar (plus extra for sprinkling over the top)
- 60 grams butter, at room temperature
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup yogurt (I used full-fat)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- 4 peaches, sliced into wedges
- Icing sugar (for dusting over the top)
- Preheat oven to 180 C and grease a 9” spring-form / regular pan.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl and mix to combine.
- Cream the butter and both sugars (demerara and white) on high speed until pale and aerated. Crack in the eggs one at a time, making sure it’s fully incorporated before adding the next one. Add the vanilla and yogurt and beat again for 1 minute.
- Pour the prepared batter into the greased pan and arrange one layer of peach slices on top. (Note : I did 2 layers and added the 2nd layer of peaches halfway through cooking time). Once half-cooked, arrange another layer on top and sprinkle with sugar before putting the cake back into the oven to finish cooking.* You could do only 1 layer, in which case, sprinkle some granulated sugar on the peaches before you put the cake in the oven.
- Bake until cake turns golden, about 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for about ½ hour. Once cooled, release from the spring-form pan and dust with icing sugar on top before slicing.
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