Peaches are in abundance now, and the timing is perfect for as many peach desserts as possible. Same goes for nectarines and apricots, to be completely honest. But for now, we'll focus on the sweet, luscious peaches in a wonderful combination with whipped vegan white chocolate ganache and delightful sweet potato.
Soft cake layers, rich whipped ganache, and sweet peaches make for an amazing summer dessert. And while the cake is tiny, she is might in flavour and will be perfect for smaller gatherings.
One more thing I love about this cake is that it can be made all year long. Peaches are available all throughout summer, often in early autumn, as well, and if they aren't available ripe and fresh, then canned ones can be a fantastic replacement. Strained well from the liquid, they will be equally delicious in this little cake. Granted, as I find many canned fruit lacking flavour, you might need to add a splash of peach or apricot liqueur or some peach extract, but that is purely optional.
Ingredients
For the cake layers
150 grams plain flour
50 grams rye flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
45 grams ground almonds
100 grams granulated sugar
120 grams sweet potato, cooked
220 millilitres soy milk
45 millilitres neutral oil
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
For the peaches and cream filling
200 grams vegan white chocolate
200 millilitres vegan double cream
75 grams vegan block butter, diced
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
200 grams peaches, finely diced
Preparation
Start by making the vegan white chocolate filling. Chop the chocolate very finely and place it in a saucepan. Add in the vegan double cream, vegan butter, and vanilla, and place everything over low to medium heat. Melt it together slowly, stirring gently until combined.
Remove from the heat, and let it cool down to room temperature. Cover the surface with a piece of cling film or baking parchment, and place into the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Next, make the sweet potato cake layers. Let the oven preheat to 180°C and line a medium (18x18 cm) cake pan with baking parchment. Sift together both types of flour with the baking powder and baking soda, add in the ground almonds and granulated sugar, and whisk very well.
Separately whisk together the cooked sweet potato, soy milk, oil, vinegar, and vanilla until smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold them through gently, making sure not to overmix the batter.
Pour it into the prepared cake pan, level the top and bake immediately, in a nicely preheated oven, at 180°C, for about 22-25 minutes. Just like any other cake, check it with a toothpick to make sure it is baked, but not dry. Remove from the oven and let it cool down completely in the pan.
When everything is cool and ready, proceed to assemble the cake. Whip the white chocolate ganache until stiff peaks form, take out a few generous tablespoons to use as frosting, add the peaches to the rest of it and divide it into three equal parts by weight.
Level the cooled cake, if needed, slice it in half lengthwise, to create two thin and long strips of cake, and then cut each of them in half to create four very thin layers. Place the first cake layer on the serving platter, and add a third of the prepared filling. Continue stacking the cake layers until all of them are used up.
As the cake is very firm, use the reserved filling to frost and decorate it to your liking. Place it into the refrigerator for 8 hours, and serve with strong coffee. Yields 8 rich servings or 12 modest ones.
