Let Her Eat Cake: Peach Melba Cake

Peach Melba, everyone's favourite combination of fresh peach, raspberries and creamy vanilla. It also rhymes with Idris Elba, which has to make it an excellent dessert. 

As with anything here at DSHQ, we've taken the everyday delicious and crammed it into CAKE FORM. There are so many gorgeous soft fruits around at the moment, that it would a crime not to use them, so here's a vehicle for just that.  

Peach Melba Cake
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Baking time: 25-30 minutes

You will need:
For the cake:

• 200g butter, softened
• 200g caster sugar
• 3 free-range eggs
• 225g self-raising flour
• 25g ground almonds
• 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out or 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 2 ripe peaches, sliced

For the filling:

• 3 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 ripe peach, sliced
• 100g raspberries
• 300ml double cream
• 1 heaped tsp icing sugar (you can add more to taste)
• 1/2 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out, or a few drops vanilla essence
• 2 tbsp raspberry jam
• Fresh peach and raspberries, to decorate

Make it!
The cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4. Grease and line two 18cm round cake tins. 
2. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs once at a time, along with a tablespoon of the flour with each and beat well. Repeat with rest of the eggs, beating well in between. 
4. Add the rest of the flour in thirds, folding in lightly in between until it is just incorporated and no streaks are showing.
5. Fold in the ground almonds and vanilla.
6. Stir in the milk.
7. Sprinkle a little caster sugar over the bottom of each tin, then arrange the sliced peaces in whatever pattern you fancy.
8. Dollop the cake batter on top of the peaches, smooth over the top and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until risen and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
9. Cool in the tin on a wire rack for a few minutes before placing a dinner plate under each cake and flipping them over. Carefully peel off the baking parchment. 

The filling:

1. Place the caster sugar into the pan over a medium heat along with 50ml of water and simmer for 3-4 minutes. 
2. Add the peaches and raspberries and stir together. Allow to poach gently for 5-7 minutes, until ruby red and jammy. 
3. Push the fruit through a sieve into a jug to remove the skin and seeds and create a puree.
4. Set aside to cool. 
5. Place the cream, icing sugar and vanilla in a bowl and whip together until the cream is stiff, but still spreadable. 
6. To assemble, spread the bottom of each cake with a little raspberry jam to give it some stick.
7. Follow with a few good dollops of cream, spread, then swirl through a couple of spoonfuls of puree. Top with the second cake, and decorate the top with cream or icing sugar, fresh raspberries and peach slices. Serve with any extra cream and puree and devour immediately!