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Layer Cakes

Fruity Peach Melba Cake with a Light Sponge

by Lisa

Trained pastry chef

Peach melba cake with a sponge base, peach and raspberry cream layers, a glossy raspberry top, whipped cream rosettes, fresh raspberries, peach slices and chopped pistachios

5.0 (13)out of 5, 13 ratings

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Prep
20 min
Bake
25 min
Total
45 min
Makes
14 slices

As soon as the first warm days arrive, I want something fruity and fresh on my cake stand, something that just feels like spring. This peach melba cake is made for exactly that: a light sponge, an airy cream cheese whipped cream with pieces of peach, a second layer with raspberries and a thin, glossy layer of jam on top.

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The trick from my pastry chef experience is all in how it's built: I divide the cream into two halves and let the peaches and raspberries work separately, so every slice clearly shows two worlds, one peach yellow and one raspberry red. I soak the bottom sponge layer generously with the juice from the can of peaches, otherwise the cake can taste dry quickly, and that would be a real shame with all that lovely fruit. Only one thing really matters: beat the eggs for at least 10 to 15 minutes, otherwise the sponge stays too dense and won't soak up the juice properly. Here is my recipe for this fruity peach melba cake with a sponge base:

Ingredients

Makes 14 slices

Sponge

  • 3large eggsRoom temperature
  • ½ cup plus 1 tbsp110 ggranulated sugar
  • 1 pinchsalt
  • 1 tsplemon pasteOptional; or lemon juice
  • 1 cup120 gall-purpose flourIn German recipes plain flour means soft wheat flour Type 405 unless stated otherwise. In the US use all-purpose flour; in the UK, plain flour.
  • ½ tspbaking powder½ tsp = 2 g. German baking powder is sold in 15 g packets, each meant for about 500 g (4 cups) of flour. In the US and the UK use baking powder, 1 tbsp plus ¾ tsp per 15 g packet.

Filling

  • 1 canpeaches
  • 7 oz200 graspberriesFresh
  • 2 ⅔ cups600 gcream cheeseRoom temperature. A soft, full-fat fresh cheese. In the US use full-fat cream cheese; in the UK, full-fat soft cheese.
  • 1 ⅔ cups400 mlheavy creamIce-cold. German cream for whipping has about 30 to 32 percent fat. In the US use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream; in the UK, whipping cream (double cream also works but whips faster, so watch it).
  • 6 tbsp80 ggranulated sugar
  • 10 sheetsgelatinGerman recipes usually mean gelatin sheets of about 1.7 g each. In the US use unflavored powdered gelatin, about ½ tsp (1.7 g) per sheet, bloomed in cold water; in the UK, leaf gelatine, weighed (about 1.7 g per German sheet), or powdered gelatine.
  • 3 tbspraspberry jamIn the US use jam or preserves (seedless if you want a smooth spread); in the UK, jam (seedless if you want a smooth spread).

Decoration

  • 1 handfulraspberries
  • 1 handfulpeach slices
  • 1 tbsppistachioschopped
  • ¾ cup plus 1 tbsp200 mlheavy creamIce-cold
  • 1 tbspgranulated sugar
  • 1 packetwhipped cream stabilizer1 packet = 8 g. A packet of modified starch and sugar that keeps whipped cream firm; one packet is used for about 1 cup (250 ml) of cream. In the US use whipped cream stabilizer powder (sold online and in some baking aisles), or about 1 tbsp nonfat dry milk powder per cup of cream; in the UK, cream stabiliser powder (sold online), or a spoonful of mascarpone whipped in with the cream.
  • 1 sheetgelatin
  • ⅔ cup200 gseedless fruit spreadRaspberry. A smooth fruit spread sold under this name in Germany, used like a seedless jam. In the US and the UK use seedless raspberry jam.

Method

Sponge

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (170°C) convection (fan). Line the bottom of a 10-inch (26 cm) springform pan with parchment paper.

  2. Beat the eggs with the sugar, salt & lemon paste for 10 minutes. Then fold in the flour & baking powder.

  3. Pour the batter into the pan and bake until golden. After baking, turn the pan upside down onto a wire rack and let the sponge cool completely in the pan, upside down.

  4. Release the sponge from the pan and simply cut it in half horizontally to make 2 layers.

Filling

  1. Drain the peaches and save the juice. Cut the peaches into cubes.

  2. Wash the raspberries and halve them if you like.

  3. Soak the gelatin in cold water.

  4. Stir the cream cheese until smooth, add the sugar and mix it in. Add the cream and whip everything until stiff.

  5. Take the gelatin out of the water, melt it in the microwave and stir in a splash of peach juice. Now quickly stir the gelatin into the cream mixture.

  6. Divide the filling in half. Add the diced peaches to one half and the raspberries to the other half.

  7. Set the springform ring around one of the sponge layers, soak the layer with some peach juice, then spread the peach filling on top and cover with the second layer. Spread some of the jam on the second layer and cover it with the raspberry cream. Let the cake set in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

Decoration

  1. Soak the gelatin in cold water, then melt it in the microwave and stir it into the seedless fruit spread.

  2. Spread the fruit spread mixture over the cake and let it set in the fridge for another 30 minutes.

  3. Release the cake from the pan.

  4. Whip the cream with the whipped cream stabilizer and sugar, pipe it on top with a piping bag and decorate with raspberries, peaches & pistachios.

Questions and answers

What exactly is peach melba?
Peach melba is a classic French dessert with poached peaches, vanilla ice cream and raspberry sauce. I turned it into a cake: a light sponge, cream cheese whipped cream, peaches, raspberries and a glossy layer of jam. The flavors stay the same, just as a cake instead of an ice cream sundae.
Where does the original recipe come from?
The original was created in the 19th century by the French chef Auguste Escoffier for the Australian opera singer Nellie Melba. My cake version keeps the three main components, peach, vanilla and raspberry, and I translate them into sponge, cream and a fruit layer.
Fresh peaches or canned?
Both work really well. I use canned peaches here because I need the juice to soak the sponge, and they're always nice and soft. With fresh, ripe peaches the cake gets more flavor; in that case I would quickly purée a few peaches and use that to soak the sponge.
Can I leave out the gelatin?
Yes, you can. Instead of gelatin you can use agar agar, about 1 level teaspoon for every 6 sheets of gelatin. Bring it to a quick boil with a little liquid and then add it to the cream mixture. It's important to work quickly, because agar agar sets faster than gelatin.
How long does the cake keep in the fridge?
The peach melba cake keeps well in the fridge for two to three days, and it actually gets even moister as it sits. I cover it loosely with a cake dome or plastic wrap so the jam layer doesn't dry out. I wouldn't freeze it, because the cream cheese whipped cream turns grainy after thawing.
How do I get more fruit into the cake?
If you want it even fruitier, purée 2 to 3 pieces of peach and stir the purée right into the peach cream, which gives it a lovely pinkish yellow color. I do the same with the raspberries: the crushed version makes the cream even more intense, both in look and in taste.