Peach, Poppy Seed and Yogurt Cakes
Peach, Poppy Seed and Yogurt Cakes

Peach, Poppy Seed and Yogurt Cakes

  • Prep time:

  • Cook time:

  • Total time:

  • Portion/Yield:

    Makes 12 individual cakes

  • Difficulty:

    Easy

These individual peach, poppy seed and yogurt cakes make really delicious summertime treats. I adore fresh peaches, especially when they are ripe, slightly soft and juicy; they are at their most fragrant now and they are a wonderful reminder of summer.

For these cakes, I have used ripe ready-to-eat peaches, but fresh ripe apricots, greengages, damsons, Victoria plums, mangoes, blackberries, blueberries and raspberries would all be fantastic fruit pairings with the poppy seed and yogurt combination.

I made these for afternoon tea, but the following morning Mr P could not keep his hands off them and he devoured one with his morning coffee for breakfast; I suppose it’s never too early for cake though, is it?!

The yogurt and poppy seeds are best combined the day before you want to make these cakes, but it’s not a problem if you don’t have time to do this (see method below for more details on this).photo of Peach, Poppy Seed and Yogurt Cakesphoto of Peach, Poppy Seed and Yogurt Cakes

Ingredients & Method

  • 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon poppy seeds, plus 2 teaspoons
  • 120g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
  • 170g caster sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 170g self-raising flour
  • a pinch of table salt
  • 3 fresh ripe peaches
  • 2 tablespoons clear blossom honey

If possible, mix the yogurt and 1 tablespoon poppy seeds together in a bowl the day before you want to make these cakes and set them aside in the fridge overnight (if you don’t have time to do this, then mix them together and set the mixture aside in the fridge for 1 hour before making the cakes). This softens the poppy seeds and makes them less gritty when eating the cakes. It’s not crucial, but it’s good to do this if you have time.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 and grease a 12-hole muffin tin with butter (there’s no need to use paper cases for this recipe; I bake the cakes direct in the tin, but do make sure you grease the tin before use).

Cream the butter and 170g sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy, then gradually mix in the eggs. Sift over the flour and salt, add the yogurt and poppy seed mixture and mix together until combined. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin holes, dividing it evenly and levelling the surfaces.

Halve and stone the peaches, cut them into wedges, then cut each wedge into smaller pieces (you need 3 pieces of peach per cake). Place 3 peach pieces on top of each cake (but do not press them in).

Bake the cakes in the oven for 25–30 minutes or until well-risen and golden brown. Insert a skewer between the peach pieces to test if the cakes are cooked in the centre – if the skewer comes out clean, they’re cooked: if it’s still moist, return the cakes to the oven for a few more minutes until cooked.

Remove from the oven and leave the cakes to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack, placing them with the peach pieces facing upwards.

Warm the honey in a small bowl in the microwave for 10 seconds on High or place the jar in a jug of hot water to make it runnier and easier to drizzle. Drizzle a little honey over the warm cakes, then scatter over the remaining 2 teaspoons poppy seeds and dust with the remaining 2 tablespoons caster sugar. Leave to cool for 30 minutes, then serve either slightly warm or completely cooled (see Cook’s Note).

These cakes are rich and moist and are ideal served on their own just as they are (although a dollop of vanilla mascarpone cream alongside will be delicious, if you insist!).

Cook’s Note

Store any leftover cakes in an airtight container (with non-stick baking paper in-between each layer) at room temperature for 3–5 days.