Apparently we've all been busy baking during the past week, with flour in low reserves at the supermarket. So we have this recipe from Kristina Jensen, where different types of flour are called into action.
I mulled over what to call this recipe, but I ended up sticking with what my then seven-year-old named it, Rotten Peach Cake. You see, I commandeered him into climbing a ladder to pick peaches, and he wasn’t too thrilled when he got up there to find that the ones I wanted were actually beginning to rot. Trying to pick them without sinking his fingers into the spots of brown fuzzy goo was pretty challenging, but if that wasn’t disgusting enough, then mum had to announce that she’s making a cake with the same peaches!
It took a bit of convincing that I only wanted the good parts of those peaches and that they were in fact quite tasty and not at all adversely affected by the brown rot. I am very much a ‘waste not, want not’ sort of girl, thanks to my parents instilling in me from a very early age the important principle of sustainability – eat it, even if it has rotten bits.
Painstakingly chopping the non-rotten chunks out of peaches might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you are brave enough to give it a go, you will find yourself eating one of the most deliciously moist and flavourful cakes ever. I had been making peach jam with these same peachy chunks for years, but now a large quantity of the salvaged peach pieces go into a cake whenever possible.
The dreaded brown rot is caused by the fungus Monilinia fructicola and can be a devastating invader for plum, nectarine, peach and cherry fruit. If rotted fruits are left hanging in the tree, they shrivel up and mummify, providing a source for spores to infect the flowers the following year. Unfortunately, a few infected flowers can spread the fungus to the whole tree, so a fairly vigilant attitude is required if you are going to rid your peach tree of this scourge.
We’ve become very fussy about the appearance of our food due to the perfect fruit and veges we see in supermarkets. However, I’m glad that I grew up being taught to appreciate the virtues of a peach with a brown spot. So, don’t despair when you see the mould start to creep onto your beautiful peaches – get busy and make a Rotten Peach Cake.
Rotten Peach Cake
(gluten-free)
Ingredients
175g butter
1 cup coconut sugar
2 eggs
2 cups of chopped peach bits, salvaged from rotten peaches
1 cup brown rice flour
3 Tbsp coconut flour
½ cup almond meal
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1 cup water
Method
Cream butter and sugar.
Beat in eggs one at a time.
Sift the dry ingredients together through a sieve and then fold in with the fruit, adding the water slowly to mix it into
a workable cake batter.
Bake in a lined greased ring tin for
35–45 minutes at 180ºC. You will
know it’s ready when an inserted
skewer comes out clean but slightly sticky.
Leave to cool in the tin for at least
15 minutes, before carefully turning your cake out onto a plate.