Monday, August 9, 2010

Peach and almond cake

I like baking. Despite a not-very-sweet-tooth, the mixing and pouring and measuring is satisfying, and of course, everyone becomes your best friend when you have fresh, real cake..

Reminds me, Charne (Shar-nay) Human and the chocolate cake. I don't suppose anyone knows where Charne is now? We were little together at St Michael's in Bloemfontein. We were in the same class for six years and I often wonder where those little girls are, now. She was really Janine Oberholzer's best friend ( the best friend business has always flummoxed me - cos, if you have a best friend, then what are your other friends? Not Quite Good Enough, if you ask me). So all my friends are best friends. Or perhaps I secretly have best friends, but don't tell them, in case I'm not their best friend...the horror.

Charne came over to play a few times. My mom bought us a boxed cake mix to bake every time. Then one day Charne rang the doorbell, escorted by her mother, as usual. At the door I confessed, We don't have cake today! And Charne turned on her heel and marched back up the the garden path and through the big doors in the high white wall, and out of my playing life.

Maybe Janine Oberholzer had more consistent cake.

This cake is Nigel Slater's. I read about it on a blog last week and for the life of me I cannot remember where. The photograph made me hungry. So if this sounds familiar, please let me know. I followed the link to The Observer where Nigel Slater's recipe appears. He calls it a cake for midsummer.

I used castor (superfine) sugar and a hand whisk, as I have no electric mixer. In Brooklyn you are not allowed to have electric mixers, and in fact a churn is perferred for making your own butter from the cow on your roof.

As I say, I whisked, and everything was fine. I omitted the orange zest.

I folded in the very last handful of terrace blueberries and used dripping sweet yellow peaches from the market.

There is a lot of butter...Stick and a half.

And baked in my oven at 50' lower than he recommends because my oven only knows HOT.

This is divine. Truly. Moist, pillowy, luscious, light (in feel, certainly not in calories), with a slightly, ever so slightly sticky crust. I am smitten. There will be more.

10 comments:

  1. MMMM...I can taste that ridiculously delicious looking cake - its off to the market tomorrow to buy peaches. It's going to be a long wait! Thanks for spreading peachy-sponge joy!

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  2. I'll have to try this. I love how your cake picture is better than the one on Nigel Slater's page.

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  3. Sounds delicious decadent and delightful. Wish I could have a slice!

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  4. I can not wait to try this. I just had peach (crumb cake)- it was supposed to be a pie- from the grocery for the first time ever & yours looks so much better!

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  5. If The Man sees this...I'm in trouble! (he will not want to wait for peach season)

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  6. That looks divine! i'd probably be making it right now except i don't have "self-raising" flour and i'm too lazy to look up the equivalence for baking powder/baking soda. I'm also not sure i have 100 gr of almonds but i guess i'd find out soon since i'd have to get the kitchen scale out to do the rest of the cooking in metric...

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  7. Belinda - let me know how it went...

    Blog PG - ha! Thank you!

    Lyn - wait for..December?

    Lily H - It is worth it, really yummy.

    dinahmow - You could substitute...mango? Use 50gr less sugar. Really, I think it would work.

    QC - nice to see you again! I have the almond flour on had for Ajo blanco, and got the self raising on purpose. Also good for those muffins I made a while back.

    Beence - well, mostly, you are :-)

    Ellen - oy, where did your comment go

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  8. Made it, yay, what a triumphant cake it is - whole family guzzled joyfully and both teenage boys whooped madly!! Its an absolute winner and has been tucked into the recipe folder to be made when peachy, butter-spongey comfort is required! I chucked in a few raspberries aswell which added yet more juiciness. I had it with creme fraiche which added a sharpness to all that sweetness.

    Thank you so much for letting us in on such a happy gastro discovery! Can I point my blog readers (I'm pretty new to all this, so they are few but lovely!),to your page to check it out? Look foward to your future recipe recommendations.

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  9. Yum - I made this cake at the weekend - full marks, everyone loved it. Thanks for posting it!

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