This Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake is as summery as cakes get. The cake is made with luxuriously creamy crème fraîche, naturally sweet honey & warming pink peppercorns. I's topped with fluffy, whipped crème fraîche frosting & peak of season, juicy nectarines. But this stunner is easier to make than it looks!
Some occasions just call for cake; birthdays, showers, weddings, ughh, the weddings. I’ve been asked time and time again to bake wedding cakes and I always turn them down. I just can’t handle that kind of pressure for perfection. That's why I love baking this Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake so much. It's an easy baker with a BIG, beautiful personality.
More cake recipes from Baking The Goods
The simple beauty of rustic cakes
Flawlessly frosted, fussy cakes send me to running to pietown faster than you can blow out a birthday candle
. And fondant, just forget it. That’s just not my jam, baby. It’s rustic or bust for me. While I appreciate the art of cake design, my personal patience levels aren't built for towering cakes.
This Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake is a bit of a trompe l'oeil, a trick of the eye. Despite it’s dramatically layered looks, it is as simple as a layer cake can claim to be. Don’t get me wrong, there is still some stress that surmounts when you stack those layers but it’s meant to look messy. Which means, if things get a little bumpy when building, it will still stack up swell. This forgiving nectarine layer cake is rustic and meant to look a little messy.
This Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake is easier than meets the eye
Layer cakes can feel intimidating. Especially if you are striving for perfection. But this Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake is much simpler than it looks. Two flavorful cake layers come together without fancy techniques or complicated ingredients. If you’re wanting to make a layer cake but feel intimidated by the stacks and techniques, this is a great place to start.
3 components layer together to create this gorgeous cake
- Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake
- Whipped Crème Fraîche
- Fresh sliced nectarines
Key flavor ingredients for the Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake
- Crème fraîche brings a smooth luxuriously silky texture to the cake. Plus it provides a soft punch of tangy freshness.
- Honey adds a depth of amber sweetness, giving the cake a flavor reminiscent of graham crackers.
- Pink peppercorns add a soft, intriguing warmth without overpowering.
- Fresh nectarines, aka the real stars of this Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake, are piled high adding beauty and juicy, fresh, peaking fruity flavor!
- Whipped crème fraîche serves as both a light and tangy topping and a layer of fresh creaminess sandwiched between the cake layers.
Mixing the Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake batter is simple
This summery nectarine cake mixes up easy. The fine pasty flour, crème fraîche and the basic blending techniques give the cake it's tender yet plush crumb.
- First, sift the dry ingredients together.
- Then, whisk the eggs together in a small bowl.
- In another small bowl, whisk together the crème fraîche, heavy cream, honey, and vanilla.
- Using an electric mixer with beaters or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, then gradually add the sugar.
- Blend in the eggs.
- Finally, blend in the dry and wet ingredients alternately two times, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.
Once the batter is mixed together it is poured into 2 greased and parchment lined cake pans. Consider this your non-stick insurance policy. It's always worth the few extra minutes it takes to grease and line cake pans.
How to assemble the Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake
After the cake layers are baked and fully cooled, the cake is ready for assembly! It takes just a couple of minutes to assemble this rustic beauty.
I am all for letting that summer produce take the cake and the nectarines are the star atop this Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake. There is no need to dress them up, just slice them into thick, juicy slices and assemble the stage.
- Add a dollop of the whipped crème fraîche frosting to the center of cake stand and top with with first layer of cake. This helps keep the cake from sliding around on the stand.
- Add about half of the crème fraîche frosting to the first layer and spread into an even layer, leaving about ½" -¾" from the edges.
- Top with second cake layer and gently press down a bit. Top with remaining whipped crème fraîche frosting.
- Top with sliced nectarines and adorn the sides with more. Keep chilled until ready to slice and serve.
The fluffy light layers of whipped crème fraîche
and a messy but beautiful pile of fresh nectarines add so much pizazz to this otherwise simple cake. The layers create height and drama without the need to fully frost or meticulously decorate this summery nectarine cake.
Know that you can swap out any store fruit for nectarines in this layer cake. Or explore other fruits like berries, figs or blend of whatever fruit is in season! This base of this cake is a versatile vessel, proud to display all kinds of fruity toppings!
This post was made is in partnership with Bob’s Red Mill. Follow Bob’s Red Mill on Instagram and Facebook or check out bobsredmill.com to shop their impressive lineup of whole grains and much more.
Thank you for supporting the brands that I love! <3
This recipe was adapted from and inspired by Odette Williams' recipe for Milk and Honey Cake from her beautiful and insightful cookbook - Simple Cake: All you need to keep your friends and family in cake.
PrintRecipe
Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 10
Description
This Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake is as summery as cakes get. The cake is made with luxuriously creamy crème fraîche, naturally sweet honey & warming pink peppercorns. Then it's topped with fluffy, whipped crème fraîche frosting & peak of season, juicy nectarines.
Ingredients
Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake
- 2 ¼ cups pastry or cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground pink peppercorns
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 medium eggs, at room temperature
- 7.5 ounces creme fraiche, one container
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- ¾ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup butter (1 ½ sticks)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
Whipped Crème Fraîche
- 7.5 ounces crème fraîche
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream, 12 ounces
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted
- 4 nectarines, ripe and sliced
Instructions
Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-by-2-inch round cake pans with butter, line the bottom and sides of the pans with parchment paper, and grease the paper.
- Place a large sifter or a sieve in a large bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, ground pink peppercorns, baking soda and salt, and sift.
- In a small bowl, whisk the eggs together. Set aside.
- In another small bowl, whisk together the crème fraîche, heavy cream, honey, and vanilla. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer with beaters or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter for 30 to 45 seconds on medium speed, then gradually add the sugar. When all the sugar has been added, stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Continue beating on a medium speed for a few more minutes, until light in color and fluffy.
- With the mixer still on medium speed, add the eggs at a time, over 3 minutes. If the batter curdles, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the flour to bind it back together.
- With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry and wet ingredients two times, starting and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined and smooth. Don’t over miz. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula to make sure it’s well combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the 2 prepared pans and smooth out the top.
- Bake in the center of the oven on the same rack for 35 to 38 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, and the cake bounces back when lightly pressed.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool in the pans for 20-30 minutes. Run a butter knife around the edges between the cakes and the pans to gently release. One at a time, invert the cakes in the pan, peel off the parchment, and flip onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Whipped Crème Fraîche
- Chill mixing bowl and whisk for 10 minutes in the freezer.
- Either by hand or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the crème fraîche and heavy cream together. Slowly add the powdered sugar on a low speed. Whisk until stiff peaks form.
Assemble the Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake
- Add a dollop of the whipped crème fraîche frosting to the center of cake stand. This helps to keep the cake from sliding around on the plate or stand. Top with with first layer of cake.
- Add about half of the crème fraîche frosting on top of the first cake layer and spread into an even layer, leaving about ½" -¾" from the edges.
- Top with second cake layer and gently press down a bit. Top with remaining whipped crème fraîche frosting.
- Add sliced nectarines to the top and the sides, piling on top and nestling them gently into the frosting.
- Chill the assembled cake until ready to slice and serve.
Notes
Chilling the fully assembled cake for at least an hour will give the cake more stability before slicing and serving.
The pink peppercorn honey cake recipe was inspired by and adapted from Odette Williams' recipe for Milk and Honey Cake from her beautiful book Simple Cake: All You need to keep your friends and family in cake.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: cake
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