Peach & Ameretto Cake

Well, my husband has been in Edinburgh for a few days this week, leaving me for the first time with all three children to deal with since my baby boy was born (can’t believe he’s 8 weeks old already). It has been crazy, with bedtime being a particular problem. Bedtime for three is going to take a little while to master!

On the work front, I am still a little worried about the fact that I have to represent the company at a huge conference in just two weeks time. I don’t have any clothes that fit, let alone have anything to wear to a book launch!  The fact that I have been in the midst of a baking fest is doing little for this. Note to self – healthy savoury recipes for next week’s blog!

On a slight tangent, a copy of the book I contributed to was delivered together with an invitation to its Aberdeen launch and advance warning of the London launch slightly later in the year.  I’m very excited (Its called The Technical & Legal Guide to Global Hydrocarbons, www.aberlour-press.com). I know not everyone will get excited about this other passion of mine, but for those of you who are it covers the security challenges facing the international energy industry. And the section I contributed also includes photos my colleague Justin sent back from Libya while out there evacuating clients earlier in the year (see below).

On the cooking front, it really has been a cake fest as we were scheduled to have several playdates this week. A combination of chicken pox and building works putting and end to one picnic, but we did our best to munch our way through lots of cakes when my aunty, cousin and her wee ones came to play.  I must say we didn’t do too badly!

My cakes this week have utilised two of my favourite summer fruits - delicious peaches, and lovely Scottish strawberries (recipe for my strawberry party cakes coming soon).  Today’s recipe, however, is for the grown ups -

Peach & Amaretto Cake

Ingredients

100g Soft Butter or Margerine

1 Egg + 1 Egg Yolk

325g Plain Flour (sieved)

2 Teaspoons Cream of Tartar

1 Teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda

75ml Full Fat Milk

3 Tablespoons Ameretto (and about an extra teaspoon to paste on top of the cake)

1 Tablespoon Ground Almonds

1 Large Peach

3 or 4 Ameretti (Soft Almond Macaroons)

80ml of Peach Juice (M&S do a peach & grape Juice if you can’t find pure peach juice – or you could use water)

100g Icing Sugar

Method

Preheat your oven to 190 ^oC (170^oC fan) and prepare a 9” springform cake tin (23cm)

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 

Then by hand, mix in the eggs and add the milk.

Mix in the flour, cream of tartar, bicarbonate of soda and ground almonds.

Add the Ameretto and mix.

Quarter and de-stone the peach and then slice, leaving the skin on.

Pour the batter into the cake tin and arrange the peach slices on the top – pushing them down slightly.

Sprinkle some sugar on the top.

Bake in the centre of the oven for around 40 minutes.

While the cake is still warm, paste the top of cake with a little more Ameretto.

To make the glaze, warm the peach juice and mix with the icing sugar until you get the required consitancy (should be quite runny). 

Drizzle or paste half of the glaze over the top and then crumble the Ameretti over the cake, finally, pour the remaining glaze over the top and leave to set.

(You don’t have to use the Ameretti to top the cake and just glaze the cake)

Delicious served as a cake or as a pudding with some whipped cream.