I’ve not posted anything for a good while. The cause of the pause … the hot, Ligurian summer.
While it delivers buckets of charm, the Italian summer also has a way of stealing my desire to fire up the oven or the computer, to photograph, or to write. My summer mode is to idle on auto.
But on Sunday … the sky blackened, the rain came, and I felt my kitchen mojo stirring. The result : a lemony peach cake with rosemary. Only that the rosemary was an afterthought, finely chopped and sprinkled on top after the cake was out of the oven, and after it was already half eaten.
I’d been out walking on the coastal path between breaks in the rain, and the bushy rosemary that brushed-up against my legs seemed to be say – ‘yo, count me in. Next time the rosemary goes into the batter. It was a total win – lifting the cake from something light, seasonal, and yummy, to ohhhh that IS good.
The cake is unpretentious – a perfect “snacketto” as the local baker would say. A simple lemon, butter cake adapted from a Donna Hay recipe with, (in the future) chopped rosemary for extra character, and with yoghurt added to seal in the moisture. Chunky peach slices are then added on the top, and the cake is baked (temps lower, time a little slower than your average). And, done!
I used a mix of peaches – yellows and the last of the summer flateys, but go with what you’ve got. The yellow guys are stunners colour-wise, but the flat peaches, in Italian tabacchiere, are soooo good for their sweetness and knockout perfume (a few slices dropped into a glass of chilled prosecco … woahhhh aromatic and intoxicating!).
Back to the cake – I am gunna be a bold and write the recipe including rosemary even though I haven’t tried it. I know it is suggested to anyone writing about food to test and re-test recipes but that’s not my style – I don’t pretend to know what I am doing. I’m just sharing what I’m cooking, learning, and curious about. Plus – don’t you think it’s more fun this way? Maybe you’ll think of a good addition … I’ve since heard of thyme being added to peach cake … ??? … could be a good combo?
Peach, Lemon and Rosemary Cake – Torta di Pesche, Limone e Rosmarino
*recipe adapted from Donna Hay
- 175g butter, chopped and softened
- ¾ cup (165g) caster sugar
- 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (150g) plain flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1-2 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- ¼ cup (70g) thick natural yoghurt
- 3 peaches sliced (*if using smaller white peaches – 4/5 peaches)
Preheat the oven to 160ºC. Lightly grease a 25cm cake tin and line with baking paper.
Place the butter, sugar, and lemon zest in the bowl and beat for around 6-8 minutes until extra light and creamy. Gradually add the eggs, beating well after each addition. Add in the vanilla.
In a separate bowl, sift the flour with the baking powder, then add most of the chopped rosemary reserving a little to sprinkle on the top of the cake once cooked. Stir the flour mixture in with the egg mixture, alternating it with the yoghurt. Beat until just combined.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin. Top with the sliced peaches and bake for 1 hour or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Allow the cake to cool for 10 mins in the tin, before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely. Sprinkle over extra chopped rosemary before serving.
