No matter who you are, under what circumstances you live, whether you are wealthy or poor, happy or sad, young or old, and no matter which part of the world you belong to: it is a universally accepted fact that cake is a celebratory dessert. But, is it really? There is a Czech proverb I think fits here: “There is no cake without a job”. If you think of it, how wonderfully does this proverb describe a cake. We all will need to come to terms with the fact that no matter what the occasion is, we all love a slice of cake. So let’s just say this recipe is a celebration of my 20th recipe on Food Without Borders! It’s usually called a tea cake because it can be served with some hot beverage, tea or coffee. I have made multiple variations of this cake with apples during fall, pears and blueberries during summer, and all these variations taste mighty good! Since peaches are now in season, here is my perfect summer cake with peaches. The beauty of this recipe is you do not need any fancy equipment to make it. A whisk, spatula and some muscle power – that is all. How simple is that?

 

Serves: 8

Total time: 1 hour 30 mins (Prep time: 30 mins + Cook time: 1 hour)

INGREDIENTS

• Unsalted butter – 1/2 cup
• Fresh peaches – 2
• Almond flour or meal – 2 cups
• Sugar (white/ brown/ maple) – 1/3 cup
• Eggs – 3
• Vanilla extract – 1 to 2 tablespoons
• Baking powder – 1 teaspoon
• Baking soda – 1 teaspoon
• Salt – 1/4 teaspoon
• Sour cream – 3 tablespoons
• Slivered almonds (optional) – 2 to 3 tablespoons

DIRECTIONS

STEP 1 – Prepping the Ingredients

1. Butter – Needs to be at room temperature. This can be achieved by leaving the butter at room temperature for about 30 to 45 minutes.
   If you are in a rush, put the butter in a bowl and zap it in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds, then let it sit for 2 minutes.
2. Eggs – We will need to do two things to the eggs. First, eggs will need to be at room temperature. The simplest way to do that is, just like butter, let it sit outside at room temperature for about an hour. Second, separate the egg whites and the egg yolks.
   In case, you are pressing against time and would like to bring the eggs to room temperature. Dump the eggs in some warm water for about 4 to 5 minutes. Note: warm not hot.
3. Peaches – Thoroughly wash the peaches and wipe them dry. Then cut the peaches in half, remove the pit and dice them into thin slices. Set it aside.
4. Dry ingredients – In a large bowl add the almond flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix and set it aside.

STEP 2 – Making the Cake

1. Pre- heat the oven to a 350F (176.6C) and grease a spring foam pan with some oil or butter. Then line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add the butter and sugar; mix until all combined. It should look like a pale creamy paste.
3. To the butter and sugar mixture add the 3 egg yolks, sour cream and vanilla extract. Whisk until the eggs completely incorporate with the butter and sugar. It will now look like a really smooth pale yellow batter.
4. Now add the dry ingredients and mix until it turns into a smooth batter.
5. In a separate bowl, add the egg whites and whisk them until they develop soft peaks. You can do it by using a balloon whisk—this should take about 6 to 7 minutes. You can also use a handheld mixer (egg beater). If using a beater, it should take about 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Slowly introduce the egg whites, a scoop at a time to the batter and fold it in. Once the egg whites have been folded into the batter, you should be left with a fluffy batter that is ready to be transferred into a baking pan.
7. Transfer the batter into the spring foam pan
8. Arrange the peaches in a concentric circle, along the edges of the batter and sprinkle the slivered almonds in the center.
9. Bake it for about 45 minutes to an hour. The bake time might vary depending on your oven, so after 45 minutes stick a tooth pick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, its done. If it doesn’t, you may have to leave the cake for a little longer. 
   Make sure to keep an eye on the cake. I usually check the cake every 5 minutes after 45.
10. Once the cake is done, let it cool for about 30 minutes. Run a butter knife around the edges and then you can transfer it to the platter of your choice and serve.
    Bon Appétit!

NOTES

• Almond flour: Almond flour can be replaced with the same quantity of all- purpose flour.
• Sour cream: Can be skipped completely or replaced with Greek yogurt, about 2 tablespoons should be plenty. If you intend to make this cake Paleo, you can skip the dairy part completely.
• Spring form pan: Is a round cake pan with a removable bottom that is held in place by a sprung collar forming the sides. If you are an avid baker this pan is a good investment. If you do not have this pan you can use your regular round cake pan and that should work just fine.
• Unsalted butter: If you would like to use salted butter, skip the adding the salt. Also, you might need to add a tablespoon or so of extra sugar to balance the sweet and salt in the cake. For Paleo, use the same amount of ghee or clarified butter.
• Method of folding: Folding is a gentle mixing technique used to incorporate delicate ingredients without deflating the batter or mixture. Folding traps extra air in the batter and eliminates large air bubbles, this gives the cake a soft yet dense texture. This technique is used to combine light and fluffy ingredients like egg whites or whipped cream with heavier mixture. In this recipe the folding technique is used so that this cake can be really smooth and retain some volume.