Wildfell Hall Butterscotch Peach Cake

It was destined to be a nutty day.  I had been to my in-laws' chestnut farm earlier picking chestnuts, which incidentally is rather gruelling.  You're stooped over picking chestnuts strewn on the ground, sometimes extracting them from their prickly encasings.  Despite wearing gloves cactus -like prickles invariably find themselves impaled in your hands.  So by the end of it, you're battling sore back and leg muscles and stubborn prickles.  Thankfully, the chestnut harvesting season is short lasting for around 6 weeks in autumn.

Anyway, later in the day inspired by the chestnuts I decided to make one of Belinda Jeffries' nut-based creations, for my monthly bookclub.  We were discussing Anne Bronte's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, which was considered hugely shocking for it's time given the themes of marital abuse, divorce and alcoholism.  Published in 1848, it is supposedly the first feminist novel.  It made for a very scintillating discussion.  Because Anne is undeservedly the lesser known of the Bronte sisters and because she was brave and honest enough to bring to light the injustices suffered by women in the 19th century, I thought I'd name this cake after her pioneering novel.

If you want the heavenly effect of the butterscotch sauce cascading over the cake, the right sized tin is imperative.   Belinda used 24cm round cake time.  As you can see by the photo, my tin was a little too large!  Supposed to serve 8...

100g almond meal

90g SR flour

160g caster sugar

3 eggs

200g butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

Peach and caramel topping

80g unsalted butter

½ cup brown sugar

¼ tsp salt

3 largish, just ripe peaches

Preheat oven to 180⁰C.  Lightly butter a 24cm round cake tin, lining base with baking paper.

For the topping, melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat.  Add the sugar and salt and stir until the mixture is smooth.   Pour it into your prepared tin, tilting it so that the bottom is coated evenly.  You will need to hold it with a tea towel so as not to get scolded by the heat.

Leaving the skins on the peach, slice them into 6mm segments.  Lay the peach slices over the top of the caramel, layering as you go so the base of the tin is completely covered in peaches.

Whiz the almond meal and flour in a food processor for 10 seconds until well combined. Tip them into a bowl.

Whiz the sugar and eggs in the processor for a minute then add butter and whiz a little more to combine thoroughly.  The sides of the machine may need to be scraped down with a spatula so that all the butter is incorporated.  Mix in the vanilla.  Return to the almond mixture to processor and pulse briefly, just enough time for the liquid and dry ingredients to combine. Dollop the subsequent batter into the caramel and peach covered tin as evenly and gently as possible.

Bake for about 45 mins or until a fine skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.  Leave it to cool for a few mins then run a blunt knife around trhe inside of the tin to loosen the cake.  Leave it another couple of minutes then invert it onto a serving plate.  For an extra sheen, brush the peaches gently with golden syrup.  Serve warm with a dollop of cream or scoop of vanilla ice-cream.  This cake really needs to be eaten on the day it’s made, for a superior taste sensation.