BIG CAKE ENERGY

Sunday’s resident chef, Sam Mannering , is looking for comfort. And he found it in cake.

Iam in a rut this week. Produce is all over the place, so I’m going to tread a little on Jordan and Erin’s toes and write about cake. I love cake. I love to bake it, I love to eat it. Some people find baking infinitely terrifying, but there is something innately therapeutic about it. I have to stress the current produce conundrum. Please be mindful of the impact that Cyclone Gabrielle has had on our producers. Have a thought for the growers on the East Coast who have months and in some instances, years, before things are back to normal.

UPSIDE DOWN PEACH CAKE

As an absolute attention seeker, it only makes sense that I’m fond of an upside down cake. The lurid theatricality of flipping something over to reveal the surprise beneath appeals hugely. This will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container, and I recommend serving it with much too much cream.

PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES COOK TIME: 50-60 MINUTES MAKES: ONE LARGE CAKE

• 50g soft butter

• 80g brown sugar

• 2 tbsp honey

• 4-5 golden peaches

• 320g soft butter • 300g caster sugar • 3 eggs • 250ml milk • 400g self-raising flour • 1 tsp baking powder

Preheat the oven to 180°C on bake. Grease and line a standard 20cm cake tin with baking paper.

1. Beat together the butter, brown sugar and honey until light and fluffy. Spread this mix evenly over the base of the lined tin.

2. Slice the peaches and arrange over the top of the brown sugar mix in the tin.

3. Beat together the second measure of butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy.

4. Beat in the eggs, one by one, then mix in the milk. It will curdle a bit, but never fear.

5. Sift in the flour and baking powder and fold into the mix – this will bring the mix back together.

6. Spread the batter evenly over the top of the peaches. Smooth off the top and pop into the preheated oven and bake for about an hour, until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

7. Allow to cool completely before running a knife around the outside of the cake, carefully inverting onto a plate, and peeling off the baking paper. Pop under the grill to caramelise a little on top if you fancy, before serving.