For our team meeting this week, it seemed appropriate to make a cake that uses some of the wonderful fruit available in the summer months. The recipe is taken from the new cookbook – Simple – by Yotam Ottolenghi and by coincidence the author is visiting Hobart this week.

 

 

Ingredients

2 large peaches, stones removed, sliced into 1.5 cm wide wedges.

200 g raspberries

320 g castor sugar

125g blanched hazelnuts

200 g unsalted butter, softened

3 large eggs, beaten

125 g plain flour (I used gluten free flour)

1½ tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

 

1. Preheat oven to 190°C (170°C for a fan forced oven). Brush a 24 cm springform cake pan with melted butter and line the base and sides with baking paper.
2. Place the peaches in a medium bowl with 150 g of the raspberries and 1 tbls of the sugar. Mix together and set aside.
3. Roughly grind the hazelnuts in a food processor, about a minute.
4. Beat the remaining sugar and softened butter until smooth and well combined.
5. Gradually add the eggs until incorporated.
6. Add the ground hazelnuts, flour baking powder and salt and mix well until smooth.
7. Spoon the batter into the cake pan and arrange the peach slices and raspberries on top.
8. Bake in the middle of the oven for 70-80 minutes covering the cake with aluminium foil after 30-40 minutes so is does not brown too darkly.
9. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly before releasing the cake from the pan.
10. Place remaining raspberries or slices of peach or both on top of cake and serve.
11. The cake is good either slightly warm or at room temperature.

 

Tips

When I made this cake, it was quite moist and couldn’t be lifted from the base of the springform pan. It still cut well and tasted delicious.