Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 4 peaches, halved, seeds removed
- 1/2 cup vanilla sugar
- 3 tablespoons chopped candied ginger
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- Cake Batter:
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup vanilla sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup milk, plus 1 tablespoon
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- Garnish:
- Powdered sugar in a shaker
- Slivered almonds (optional)
Directions
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- Butter a 10½-inch diameter ceramic pie plate with a 5-6 cup capacity, or 6-8 small shallow individual tart pans. (Another shape of shallow baking dish with the same capacity will also work.) You may need to use a brush to lightly coat the edges of the pie plate with butter. Reserve.
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Halve the peaches, pit, & roughly chop for small tart pans, or quarter (bigger pieces for 1 large dish. Put these in a big bowl with the vanilla sugar,candied ginger, vanilla extract and lime juice. Gently combine the peaches with the other ingredients. Reserve.
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To prepare cake batter:
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In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, the remaining 3/4 cup vanilla sugar, and the baking powder. With a wooden spoon or whisk, beat in the milk & vanilla extract to produce a smooth batter. Don’t over beat. However, the batter should not have too many lumps either. Pour the batter into the center of the buttered dish. It will spread out on its own.
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Place a spoonful of peaches, and some of their remaining liquid evenly over the batter, leaving a 1/4–inch open border of batter around the outside edges. I also did a few with spooning the fruit in first & the batter over. The first was prettier, but both dramatic! For a single large gratin dish, place all the fruit on top of the batter, & leave a 3/4" border. (this will allow the batter to rise dramatically at the edges).
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Place on a rack in the upper third of a preheated 190°C oven. Set an edged baking sheet on the rack below to catch any overflow.
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Bake for 40-45 minutes (a little less for smaller cakes), or until the sides are fully puffed, the center is slightly puffed, and the top is golden brown.
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Remove from the oven to a wire rack to cook for 15 minutes before cutting / serving. To serve, dust with powdered sugar and cut into wedges for 1 large pie, or as is for smaller cakes.