Name: Peach shortcake with Sindyanna cream
Ingredients: 375g plain flour, plus extra for dusting; 2½ tsp baking powder; ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda; ¾ tsp salt; 60g golden caster sugar; 175g fridge-cold unsalted butter,cut into 1cm cubes; 140ml fridge-cold buttermilk; 140ml fridge-cold double cream, plus extra for brushing; 2 tsp vanilla bean paste; 1½ tbsp demerara sugar; 100g Golden caster sugar; 2 limes – zest finely grated, to get 1 ½ tsp, and juiced, to get 40 ml; 10g ginger, peeled and finely grated; pinch of salt; 500g ripe peaches (or apricots or strawberries), cut into 1cm-thick slices; 360ml double cream; 115g soulful Galilean spread; 2 ½ tbsp golden caster sugar; 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Dessert

Serves 8

Prep 15 min

Cook 45 min

Chill 30 min

You need really ripe peaches for this: if they’re not, use another fruit instead – strawberries and apricots both work well. You can poach the peaches a day ahead, but they should be eaten on the day they’re baked.

Ingredients

FOR THE SHORTCAKE
375g	plain flour, plus extra for dusting
2½ tsp	baking powder
¼ tsp	bicarbonate of soda
¾ tsp	salt
60g	golden caster sugar
175g	fridge-cold unsalted butter,cut into 1cm cubes
140ml	fridge-cold buttermilk
140ml	fridge-cold double cream, plus extra for brushing
2 tsp	vanilla bean paste
1½ tbsp	demerara sugar
FOR THE PEACHES
100g	Golden caster sugar
2	limes – zest finely grated, to get 1 ½ tsp, and juiced, to get 40 ml
10g	ginger, peeled and finely grated
	pinch of salt
500g	ripe peaches (or apricots or strawberries), cut into 1cm-thick slices
FOR THE CREAM
360ml	double cream
115g	soulful Galilean spread
2 ½ tbsp	golden caster sugar
1 tsp	vanilla bean paste

Method

First make the shortcake. Put the flour, baking powder, bicarb, salt and caster sugar in the large bowl of a food processor and pulse once or twice to mix. Add the butter, pulse five or six times, until it’s broken down into pea-sized pieces, then tip into a large bowl and set aside. (If your kitchen is warm, put the bowl in the fridge so the dough stays as cold as possible).
In a small bowl, mix the buttermilk, double cream and vanilla bean paste. Make a well in the middle of the dough mixture, pour in the cream mixture and mix gently with your hands until it comes together into a shaggy mass. Tip out onto a large sheet of greaseproof paper and use the paper to help you compress it into a rectangle.
Dust a rolling pin with flour and slightly sprinkle some on top of the dough and paper, too. Starting from the centre, lightly roll out the dough into a larger, roughly 1cm-thick rectangle. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough widthways into three equal rectangles, then dust with more flour and stack them up, using a hand to press them together at the edges to make them even. Cut the dough stack widthways in half, then stack the two halves on top of each other, so you now have a pile of six dough rectangles.
Lightly roll out the dough again, this time to a 2½cm-thick 20cm x 10cm rectangle – be gentle, because this is a soft dough – then cut this into 8 equal squares. Line a large tray (that will fit in your fridge) with greaseproof paper, lay the shortcakes on top and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to an hour (you want to bake these from cold).
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Meanwhile, poach the peaches. Put the sugar, 200ml water, lime zest, ginger and salt in a medium saucepan on a high heat, and cook for 10-15 minutes, until very thick and bubbling furiously. Turn down the heat to medium, stir in the sliced peaches and cook for another minute, until the fruit is slightly oft, but not falling apart. Take off the heat, stir in the lime juice, then transfer to a bowl and leave to cool.
Take the shortcake tray out of the fridge, brush the tops lightly with some of the cream and generously sprinkle over the demerara sugar. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown, then transfer to a rack to cool.
Meanwhile, put all the cream ingredients in a medium bowl, whisk to soft peaks and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Once they’re cooked, carefully cut each shortcake in half widthways. Spoon some of the peach mix over the bottom half of each shortcake, dollop on a generous spoonful of cream, top with the other shortcake half and serve.