Peach Crumb Cake

In Pakistan, mangoes are the superstar fruit of summer. The thing is they don't bake very well in my experience. 

(In response to, "What? Baking with mangoes?")

Yes, I have baked using mangoes. I have tried many things in all the years I've been an avid baker.

It was this really nice mango bread recipe. The bread was great and moist and delicious, but the flavour of the mangoes just didn't come through. 

But that's okay because in summer there's so much great stone fruit to eat and to bake with and to make fruit salads with: plums, apricots, cherries, peaches. 

I love making apple crumb cake in winter and peaches seemed like the perfect substitute for a summer version.

Ingredients

For the cake:

4 oz butter

¾ cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1½ cups flour

1½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ cup milk

For the crumb topping: 

2 oz butter (cold, and cut into small cubes)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 peaches, peeled and sliced into eighths

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon  

1. Preheat the oven to 180⁰C (350⁰F).

2. First prepare the crumb topping. Add the butter, sugar, flour and cinnamon to a small mixing bowl. Then rub the butter into the mixture with the tips of your fingers. Use the same motion you would if you were sprinkling salt on to something with your fingers to rub the butter in. If it's a hot day, you're better off doing this in a food processor, because the butter will start to soften very quickly and be harder to work with. Add all the ingredients to the processor and blitz a couple of times, for about 2 or 3 seconds each time. Whether you do it by hand or with the processor, the crumb mixture ought to look something like this.

3. Place the crumb mixture in the fridge while you prepare the cake batter.

4. Sift together the flour and baking powder and set aside.

5. Place the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixture until light and creamy.

6. Beat in the vanilla extract.

7. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, with the mixer on its slowest setting. After each addition, beat until well combined.

8. Mix in half the flour mixture.

9. Fold in the remaining flour and the milk with a spatula.

10. Place the peaches in bowl and add the 2 tbs sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Toss lightly so that the peach slices are coated.

11. Now take a greased 8-inch loose-bottomed cake pan and line the base with wax paper.

12. Spread half the cake batter evenly into the prepared pan.

13. Then arrange the peaches on top of the batter.

14. Spoon the remaining cake batter on top of the peaches.

15. Finally, sprinkle the crumb topping mixture evenly on top of the cake mixture.

16. Place in the centre of the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 70 to 80 minutes.

17. Allow the cake pan to cool on a wire rack for a while before you remove the cake.

18. Remove the cake from the tin but don't remove the base of the cake tin until the cake has mostly cooled.   You don't want to disturb the crumb topping by inverting the cake when it's hot.

19. To remove the base, invert the cake on to a plate lined with wax paper. Quickly but gently remove the base of the cake tin and the wax paper. Then invert the cake back onto a wire rack to cool completely.