Peach & tvaroh cake
Bright and tangy and subtly sweet: this cake is a true summertime delight.
But with Slovak tvaroh cheese is in short supply, we have had to get creative…
Broskyňový tvarohový koláč
Slovak tvaroh cheese is produced when cow’s milk is soured (usually with lactic acid), and is often used in recipes for cakes and sweets. While it can be found throughout European markets, its English equivalent of quark is not always readily available in American grocery stores. When I came across this recipe in the middle of Colorado peach season, I was determined to recreate it but could not find a tvaroh equivalent. A bit of research and a few cakes’ worth of experimentation revealed that a blend of cream cheese and feta did the trick: the cream cheese provided a smooth sweetness and the feta, a zesty tang. When combined with the perfection of summertime peaches, this cake is worth trying once or twice (you know, for research).
Ingredients
Cake batter Cesto
100g flour 100g múky
1 eggs 1 vajcia
100g plain Greek yogurt 100g gréckeho jogurtu
25ml vegetable oil 25ml rastlinného oleja
25g sugar 25g cukru
1 tsp baking powder 1 čajová lyžička prášku do pečiva
Cream filling Plnka
115ml milk 115ml mlieka
2/3 packet Dr. Oeteker’s vanilla pudding 2/3 balíčka vanilkového pudingu z Dr. Oeteker
zest of 2/3 of a large lemon kôra z 2/3 veľkého citróna
40g sugar 40g cukru
Combine to make our homemade tvaroh* Na prípravu domáceho tvarohu
130g cream cheese 130g smotanového syra
55g feta 55g fety
*If you are able to find Farmer’s Cheese or quark at your local grocery store, great! Use 185 grams of this instead.
Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC.
To make the filling, put milk and pudding mix into a bowl and whisk vigorously until combined.
Using a hand-immersion blender or hand mixer, blend together the cream cheese and feta.
Add the tvaroh (cream cheese & feta) mixture, lemon zest and sugar to the pudding filling. Set aside.
To make the dough, combine the eggs, yogurt, oil and sugar. Once combined, add the flour and baking powder and mix until smooth.
Butter or oil a 9” cake pan.
Place the dough layer at the bottom. Top with the pudding filling, then decorate with peach slices.
Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the filling is set and the edges are golden brown.
Allow the cake to cool before brushing with apricot jam, then sprinkling with almonds. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.
