This cake is essentially a summery version of the classic Victoria Sponge. It’s two layers of delicious vanilla cake with a layer of fresh peach compote and cream in the middle and more whipped cream on top. You can make it extra pretty with some edible flowers and peach slices on top of the cake right before you serve it. You’ll need 4 chicken or duck eggs for this recipe and, as always, we include substitutes to make it gluten and dairy free.
We talk you through making our Peaches and Cream Layer Cake in Episode 298 of our podcast. If you enjoy this recipe you may also like our recipes for Easy Peach Cobbler and Peach Jam Cake.
Ingredients
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter or dairy free butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large chicken or duck eggs, room temperature
1 cup all-purpose flour or gluten free all purpose 1-1 flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt (omit if using salted butter or dairy free butter)
~ 2/3 cup of peach compote, chilled (recipe below)
2 cups of whipped cream or dairy free whipped cream
Peach slices and edible flowers for garnish
Preheat the oven to 325°F, and grease or spray two 8″ cake tins.
Directions
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, continuing to mix well. Gradually add flour, baking powder and salt and beat just until smooth.
Divide the mixture between the two cake pans and bake for 20-30 minutes until golden.
Allow to cool completely, then assemble. First, spread a layer of the chilled compote on the bottom layer. Top it with half of the whipped cream. Place the top cake layer on, then cover it with the remaining whipped cream. Garnish with some peach slices and edible flowers, like nasturtiums or marigold petals. You can also sugar the flowers if you want a bit more sparkle. All you need is an egg white and some sugar!
Peach Compote
4 or 5 large ripe peaches, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1/4 cup water (or green tea, if you want a little more complex flavor)
Combine all ingredients in a medium sauce pan and place on the stove over medium/high heat, stirring to blend. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn heat to low. Simmer the compote for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. The compote will last about two weeks in the refrigerator.
