Christmas-Spiced Burnt Butter Cake With Honeyed Peaches

Working on your Christmas menu? This beautiful dessert recipe by Emma Knowles boasts all the hallmarks of a perfect Christmas pudding, minus any heaviness. Archie Rose Eau de Bee adds a sweet edge to a tumble of sticky peaches and boozy honey cream adds a decadent garnish. Yum.

Prep time 30 mins, cook 1 1/4 hours (plus cooling) Serves 8-10

INGREDIENTS

• 250g chilled butter, diced

• 1/3 cup each brown sugar and caster sugar

• 1/4 cup honey

• 4 eggs

• 1 cup plain flour

• ½ cup almond meal

• ½ tsp baking powder

• 2 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 tsp ground ginger

• ½ tsp each ground nutmeg and ground cloves

• ¼ cup milk

• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Honeyed Peaches

• 8 ripe peaches, halved and stoned

• 1 1/2 cups caster sugar

• 1/3 cup honey

• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

• 1/4 cup Eau de Bee

Boozy Honeyed Cream

• 300 ml thickened cream

• 250g creme fraiche

• 1/3 cup honey

• 2 1/2 tbsp Eau de Bee

• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Method

1.Preheat your oven to 180C and butter and flour a 23-diameter cake tin (we used a deep-sided fluted tart tin). Cook the butter in a medium saucepan over high heat for 5-6 minutes or until nut brown – you want the butter to be nice and nutty, but not black. Pour into a heatproof bowl, making sure you scrape all the lovely sediment from the base of the pan; it’s the secret to the gorgeous nutty flavour. Chill for about half an hour until just firm.

2.Transfer the burnt butter to an electric mixer, add the honey and both sugars and beat for 4-5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the flour, almond meal, baking powder, spices and ½ tsp sea salt, beat to just combine then beat in the milk and vanilla. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared tin and bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and the centre springs back when lightly pressed. Cool in the tin, then remove from the tin and store in an airtight container until you’re ready to serve (cheeky tip – brush the cake with a little Archie Rose Eau de Bee for an extra boozy hit).

3.To make the honeyed peaches, increase the oven temperature to 200C. Scatter the caster sugar in the base of a baking tray large enough to fit the halved peaches snugly in a single layer. Arrange the peach halves, cut-side down, in the sugar, pressing gently to help the sugar stick. Stand for 20 minutes - the sugar will draw some of the juices from the peach and create a gorgeous sugary crust. Turn the peaches over, then drizzle the honey over the peaches. Combine the Eau de Bee and orange juice in a jug and drizzle around the peaches. Roast for 30-35 minutes until gloriously sticky and syrupy. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate in an airtight container until you're ready to serve.

4.Just before serving, whisk the cream, creme fraiche, honey, Eau de Bee and vanilla in a bowl to soft peaks. Dust your cake with icing sugar and serve with the honeyed peaches and boozy honey cream.