White chocolate peach torte
I was inspired by my success with the chocolate prune cake to experiment further with mixing fruit and chocolate together. My intention was to make a cake using apples, white chocolate, and calavados but life gave me peaches…30 pounds of exquisitely perfect, organically grown, Colorado peaches that were all ready to be used immediately. So I peeled, sliced, and bagged peaches for the freezer and then I began to make a new cake along the lines of what I was thinking of, except with peaches.
White chocolate presented its own problems; it isn’t really chocolate because it contains no cocoa solids and when melted and mixed with butter it must be handled gently or the emulsion will split and the fat will separate from the solids. After a bit of research on white chocolate I determined that I needed a high quality brand. But the local store only offered Bakers and Ghiradelli. So I bought both and planned on being flexible and making mistakes.
Like the prune cake, I melted the chocolate in the microwave and then worked in the room temperature butter. For this I used the Bakers white chocolate and it performed well, had a rich shine and gloss like a chocolate should and never, ever threaten to break. So far so good.
I diced the peaches, put them in a pan and cooked them down for 2 or 3 minutes. I added scant pinches of salt and spices and a 1/4 cup of armagnac and set it on fire. Actually it isn’t necessary to set it on fire, you could just cook it down…I just really like the fire part! Once the fire was out I continued to cook them down but still, I had a lot more liquid than I did last week with the prunes…but at least it was really tasty liquid.
After I mixed it all up I tasted the batter and became very, very excited. I love cake batter but this cake batter was nuanced…sweet, with just a hint of spice, and a intense peachiness…would the cake live up to the batter? I ultimately ended up baking the cake for about 26 minutes, and the cooled it in the pan for 10 minutes. When I popped it out of the pan it looked beautiful…like a buttery, golden disc of peachy goodness. I admit…it looked moist, but that might work in its favor.
Actually as it sat there on the counter it practically glistened and it smelled divine. No frosting or glaze was necessary but I thought perhaps a dollop of freshly whipped cream might be perfect…gilding the lily perhaps…but I’ve always embraced that concept. When I sliced the cake it made a squishy noise…and when I plated it it squished again, but it held its shape and didn’t ooze. GH and I bravely took a bite and it was…delicious (whew!!). The brandied peach flavor popped and the subtle flavors of pecans, spices, and butter melded together to create an unique but pleasant taste. The white chocolate didn’t stand out in any way and yet I think it united with the other flavors to create this intense, mellow, melange of flavor.
As I write this I just polished off a sliver of it to see if the flavors held up…and they do. It’s been in the refrigerator overnight and the rest and chill has perhaps improved it. It certainly isn’t a cake but it can easily pass as a torte with its rich, buttery, almost pudding-like interior. I can see making this again next year during peach season. Also it’s the perfect cake for a dinner party, it’s rustic good looks belies its sophisticated flavor.
So here’s my recipe…it was an fabulous success and GH gave it two thumbs way up.
White chocolate peach torte
3 peaches, peeled and diced
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon salt
¼ cup armagnac
1 teaspoon vanilla
7 oz white chocolate
4 oz. butter
3 large eggs, separated
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup finely ground pecans
1/3 cup all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
Preheat to 350°F. Butter a round cake pan and dust it with flour. Fit the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper.
Put the peaches in a small saucepan, add the cloves, cinnamon, ginger and 1/8 teaspoon of salt and cook over medium heat until they soften and release their juices. Add the armagnac and light it on fire. Continue to cook down for 5 minutes or so in order to reduce. Stir frequently. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla.
Process the pecans, flour, and ¼ teaspoon of salt in the food processor until the pecans are finely ground.
Melt the chocolate in the microwave and add the butter. Stir well to combine and emulsify.
In a large bowl beat the egg yolks and sugar together until thick and pale. Stir the white chocolate mixture into the eggs, then add the nut/flour mixture, and then the peaches and their liquid. Stir after each addition to combine.
Beat the egg whites into firm peaks and gently fold them into the batter. Fill the pan with the batter and bake for 20 minutes in a convection oven at 350°F or 26 minutes in a normal oven at 375°F. The torte is done when its top is firm and the edges begin to pull away from the sides. A knife inserted in the middle should be streaky.
Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes then invert on a rack and remove the paper. Continue to cool fully.
Serve with whipped cream.
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3 Responses to “White chocolate peach torte”
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Really gorgeous!
Hey Vanessa! It’s been a while since I’ve visited but it looks like I picked the right time! This peach torte sounds wonderful!
What a great evolution of an idea. Thanks for sharing your process. It sounds like a divine combination.