Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake

Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake by Baking The Goods.

Hooray! Here we go again, it’s my 4th #BakingTheGoodsWithBobs campaign of the year and we are getting serious around here. This time we are taking the cakes with my series #LetsCakeItEasy. All week long we’ll be caking it easy and baking up the simplest cakes around. Think simple skillet cakes, easy breezy bundt cakes and this double layered, devilishly delightful Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake that honestly is easy to bake!

 

Some things just call for cake; birthdays, showers, weddings, ughh, the weddings. I’ve been asked time and time again to bake wedding cakes and I always, ALWAYS, turn them down. I just can’t handle that kind of pressure for perfection. There are people whose passion in life is baking elaborate, towering wedding cakes, I am not one of those people. And I am totally ok with that.

When it comes to cakes, I am camp rustic all the way. Flawlessly frosted, fussy cakes send me to running to pietown faster than you can blow out a birthday candle. And fondant, just forget it. That’s just not my jam, baby. It’s rustic or bust for me.

This Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake is a bit of a trompe l’oeil, a trick of the eye. Despite it’s dramatically layered looks, it is as simple as a layer cake can claim to be. Don’t get me wrong, there is still some stress that surmounts when you stack those layers but it’s meant to look messy, so if things get a little bumpy when building, the repairs are easy enough.

This Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake is made with 2 flavorful cake layers, without fancy techniques or complicated ingredients. The crème fraîche and honey based cake has a depth of sweet flavor thanks to the amber richness of the honey, reminiscent of graham crackers. The pink peppercorns add a warmth to the cake without overpowering with peppery flavor. It’s so subtle that you might not even notice that you notice it, providing a welcome bit of mystery and intrigue.

The real stars of this Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake are the fresh and juicy, peak of the season nectarines. They don’t get messed with, just piled high atop a layer of whipped crème fraîche that serves as both a light and tangy topping and a layer of fresh creaminess sandwiched between the cake layers. 

The cakes bake up easy in two separate round cake pans, carefully lined with parchment paper to keep them from sticking. And once cooled, the cake is stacked in just a couple of minutes, with the fluffy light layers of whipped crème fraîche and a messy but beautiful pile of fresh nectarines. 

I am all for letting that summer produce take the cake and the nectarines shine atop this Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake. There is no need to dress them up, just slice them into thick, juicy slices and give them a stage, they’ll take care of the rest. 

If you’re wanting to make a layer cake but feeling intimidated by the stacks and techniques, this Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake is a great place to start. The worst thing that could happen is the cake slides a bit when you slice it, but it’s still gonna be great, it just might get a bit messy. If that all still scares you, check out my Blueberry Peach Cornmeal Skillet Cake or go for it with my Bourbon Bundt Cake with Grilled Cherries and build up to the layer cakes. You’ll get there and you’ll love it up at the top! 

This post was made is in partnership with Bob’s Red Mill. Follow Bob’s Red Mill on Instagram and Facebook or check out bobsredmill.com to shop their impressive lineup of whole grains and much more. 

Thank you for supporting the brands that I love! <3

This recipe was adapted from and inspired by Odette Williams’ recipe for Milk and Honey Cake from her beautiful and insightful cookbook – Simple Cake: All you need to keep your friends and family in cake. 

This Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake starts with a few of my tried and true products from Bob’s Red Mill. The Fine Pastry Flour makes for a delightfully tender texture.

This Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake has a hint of warmth from the fresh ground pink peppercorns.

Crème fraîche gives the cake a naturally tangy flavor and a rich, velvety texture. The honey adds a natural sweetness that makes the cake almost taste like graham crackers.

When folding the dry ingredients into the cake batter, you want to be sure not to over mix or you’ll end up with a dense cake.

Taking the time to line your cake pans with parchment paper in your non-stick insurance policy and is always wort the few extra minutes.

An offset spatula is the best way to smooth out cake batter once your cake pans have been filled.

The batter for the Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake is as smooth as silk and ready to hit the oven.

Once Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cakes have cooled in the pans for a bit, carefully remove them from the cake pans and allow them to finish cooling on a cooling rack.

While the Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cakes cool, prepare the super simple, whipped crème fraîche frosting. You’ll want to whip it just until medium – stiff peaks form.

This Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake showcases fresh white and yellow nectarines. Just slice and top, no cooking necessary.

The assembly of this Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake is so simple. You start with a cake layer on the bottom, add a fluffy layer of the whipped crème fraîche frosting and then build up from there.

Once you’ve stacked those layers of cake and crème fraîche frosting, top the Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake with the fresh nectarine slices.

How pretty are those lovely layers of this Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake?

Now let’s take a step back and admire this babe-a-licious Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake before slicing into it!

Well hello juicy freshness! What better way to top a cake than with peak of season fruit?

Since this Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake isn’t super sugary and sweet, you can have a big ol slice without feeling that regrettable sugar rush later.

So go ahead, have your Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake and eat it too!

And let’s all just take a moment to admire the simple beauty of this Serving Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake.

Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake

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• Author: Becky Sue from Baking The Goods
• Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Yield: 10

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Description

This Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake is as summery as cakes get. The cake is made with luxuriously creamy crème fraîche, naturally sweet honey & warming pink peppercorns. Then it’s topped with fluffy, whipped crème fraîche frosting & peak of season, juicy nectarines.

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Ingredients

Units USM

Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake

• 2 1/4 cups pastry or cake flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground pink peppercorns
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3 medium eggs (- at room temperature)
• 7.5 ounces creme fraiche ((one container))
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

Whipped Crème Fraîche

• 7.5 ounces crème fraîche
• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream ((12 ounces))
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar (-sifted)
• 4 nectarines (- sliced)

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Instructions

Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 8-by-2-inch round cake pans with butter, line the bottom and sides of the pans with parchment paper, and grease the paper.
2. Place a large sifter or a sieve in a large bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, ground pink peppercorns, baking soda and salt, and sift.
3. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs together. Set aside.
4. In another small bowl, whisk together the crème fraîche, heavy cream, honey, and vanilla. Set aside.
5. Using an electric mixer with beaters or a paddle attachment, beat the butter for 30 to 45 seconds on medium speed, then gradually add the sugar. When all the sugar has been added, stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Continue beating n medium speed for another 4 minutes or until light in color and fluffy.
6. With the mixer still on medium speed, add the eggs 1 tablespoon at a time, over 3 minutes. If the batter curdles, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the flour to bind it back together.
7. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry and wet ingredients alternately two times, starting and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined and smooth. Don’t overbeat. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula to make sure it’s well combined.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the oven on the same rack for 35 to 38 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, and the cake bounces back when lightly pressed.
9. Remove the cakes from the oven and let them stand for 20 minutes. Run a butter knife around the cakes to gently release. Peel off the parchment paper from the sides, invert the cakes, peel off the bottom piece of parchment, and cool completely on a wire rack.

Whipped Crème Fraîche

1. Chill bowl and whisk attachment for 10 – 15 minutes in the freezer. Whisk the crème fraîche and heavy cream together and slowly add the powdered sugar. Whisk until stiff peaks form.
2. Add a dollop of the whipped crème fraîche frosting to the center of cake stand. Top with with first layer of cake.
3. Add about half of the crème fraîche frosting to the first layer and spread into an even layer, leaving about 1/2″ -3/4″ from the edges.
4. Top with second cake layer and gently press down a bit. Top with remaining whipped crème fraîche frosting.
5. Top with sliced nectarines and adorn the sides with more. Add pink peppercorn leaves if you can find them foraging through your neighborhood! Keep chilled until ready to slice and serve.

Notes

The pink peppercorn honey cake recipe was inspired by and adapted from Odette Williams’ recipe for Milk and Honey Cake from her beautiful book Simple Cake: All You need to keep your friends and family in cake.

• Prep Time: 40 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Dessert
• Cuisine: cake

Nectarines and Creme Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake by Baking The Goods