Saturn peach fairy cakes with passion fruit buttercream

I was intrigued. I bought. I baked.

I’d never bought or tasted white saturn or ‘doughnut’ peaches before, but this year they were impossible to ignore as they’re everywhere. They looked so quirky on the market stall that I just had to try. I found them slightly sweeter than a typical peach and a little more ‘perfumy’ –  if you know what I mean. Easier to eat too, because of their shape.

So, ever seduced by something new and shiny, I bought a large punnet. After scoffing a couple I realised that, although these are nice enough, I’d probably prefer to eat an un-furry nectarine. I thought I’d incorporate the rest into a bake and they taste really nice in this.

Notes

• Makes 24 small fairy cakes or about 16 cupcakes

Equipment

• Muffin tins
• Cupcake/fairy cake cases
• Piping bag and large star nozzle
• Bowls
• Whisk/mixer

Ingredients – cakes

• Plain flour – 250g
• Unsalted butter – 125g
• Eggs, medium – 2
• Caster sugar – 180g
• Vanilla extract – 1/2 teaspoon
• Saturn peaches – 3 (or use 2 normal peach as these are larger)
• Milk – 80ml
• Baking powder – 1 1/2 teaspoons

Method

1. Put the oven on to 160C fan 170C conventional
2. Ready the muffin tins with the cases
3. Cream the sugar and butter then mix in all the other ingredients except the peaches
4. Chop up two of the peaches into fine dice (about 3mm or 1/8″ cubes). You are keeping one peach back for decoration later
5. Stir the peaches gently through the cake mix
6. Spoon into the cases
7. Put in the oven for about 20 mins – test with a cocktail stick to se if they’re done (done if the stick comes back out clean)
8. Leave to cool

Ingredients – buttercream

• Icing sugar – 250g
• Unsalted butter – 120g
• Passion fruits – 3 (only two will get mixed in, the third will be drizzled on top)

Method – buttercream

1. Cut open two of the passion fruits and scrape out the flesh and seeds into a large bowl
2. Measure out the icing sugar and the butter into the same bowl and mix with a spoon gently
3. Once mixed, you can then whisk the buttercream until light and fluffy for about 4-5 minutes
4. Spoon into the piping bag and pie rosettes on to the top of the cooled cakes
5. Cut slices off the remaining peach and halve. Use these the decorate the cakes by pushing into the buttercream
6. Open the last passion fruit and scrape out the seeds and flesh and drizzle this over all of the cupcakes

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