Читать книгу Cake: 200 fabulous foolproof baking recipes - Rachel Allen - Страница 32

Upside-down peach and saffron cake

An upside-down cake takes so little time to bring together. Here I’ve combined lightly caramelised peaches with that most magical of spices, saffron. If you can get good fresh peaches, then do use them, but they’re quite hard to find, even in late summer. Tinned peaches work perfectly well otherwise. Delicious as a dessert, this cake would also be lovely to serve guests for afternoon tea.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Baking time: 30–35 minutes

Ready in: 1 hour

Serves: 6–8

50g (2oz) butter

175g (6oz) caster sugar

4 fresh peaches, quartered and stones removed, or 1 × 410g tin of sliced peaches

200g (7oz) plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

¼ tsp salt

2 eggs

200ml (7fl oz) buttermilk

75ml (3fl oz) sunflower oil

Large pinch of saffron

Greek yoghurt or softly whipped cream, to serve

26cm (10½ in) diameter ovenproof frying pan (measured across the top)

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas mark 4.

Place the butter in the frying pan and melt over a medium heat, then sprinkle over 50g (2oz) of the sugar and cook for 3 minutes or until light golden, stirring regularly. Remove from the heat and add the peaches in a single layer, cut side down.

Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large bowl, add the remaining caster sugar and mix together. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, sunflower oil and saffron. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, then pour in the buttermilk mixture and whisk together to form a very soft batter.

Pour the batter evenly over the peaches, taking care not to disturb them in the pan, then place in the oven and bake for 30–35 minutes or until slightly springy in the middle and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Allow to cool for just 5 minutes before turning out by placing an inverted serving plate over the top of the pan and turning the pan and plate over together in one quick movement.

Serve warm or at room temperature with Greek yoghurt or softly whipped cream.