Just peachy

I have been cooking a lot of desserts of late and I don't quite know why. honestly, I don't eat a lot of desserts myself. I guess Marty was right when she pointed out that one difference between us is that she cooks because she likes to eat while I cook because I just love the process.

This peach bottom cake came about because my partner bought a can of peaches three weeks ago and said, "Make something with peaches, woman. Please?" I didn't think a peach melba would do, nor would a fruit cocktail which is what I usually use canned peaches for.

It took me a while to decide how I'd use the peaches. A peach tart would have been an obvious option but I have not been very successful with pie crusts in the past. I much prefer cakes.There is something about beating a bunch of eggs to a pulp .. ok, not a pulp but into a smooth, creamy batter that's so satisfying.



This peach bottom cake has the texture of a chiffon cake: it's light and fluffy and, like the chiffon cake, has no butter but oil instead. Like the Chiffon, the Peach Bottom Cale also has a high ratio of eggs to flour. I usually use 2 eggs in a cake; this one used 4.
Now the huge difference is that in a spongy chiffon, you separate the egg whites and whisk separately till they are stiff and then fold them into the batter. Perhaps its more like the Italian sponge, the Genoise where the eggs are beaten well but whole.

Regardless, the cake is spongy and, because I baked it in a tube pan, it rose quite high.



Peach Bottom Cake

3 cups sliced peached
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup brown sugar

3 cups self raising flour
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
13/4 cups castor sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tsp vanilla essence

Beat eggs well and then add sugar and oil. Beat till well mixed.Add flour and orange juice in slowly and alternately. Mix till you get a smooth, slightly thick batter.

In a separate bowl, mix peaches with brown sugar and cinnamon.

Grease a tube pan. Pour 1/2 the mixture. Add a layer of peaches and then pour the remaining batter.

Bake at oven preheated to 180C for 55 - 60 mins.

Once done, cool on cake rack and dust with icing sugar (about 1 tbsp)..