Peach, almond and thyme butter cake

The August heat settles, dense and heavy with the scent of fruit, still warm on the branch, juices turning to molasses in the sun. You can feel the season turning, imperceptibly, towards its inevitable close. Every meal seems to carry a sense of urgency, as if it’s the last chance to taste peak summer produce at its best.

At Chez Panisse, one of my favorite restaurants, a bowl of Rodriguez Farm berries is served alongside a Suncrest peach from Masumoto Family Farm - and that’s the entire dessert.

The peach is so perfectly ripe, so full of flavor, that it needs no embellishment. When we lived in San Diego, our local market sold these same Masumoto peaches, nestled gently in baskets, each fruit carefully cushioned like a fragile treasure. Their perfume, honeyed and softly floral, drifted lazily through the stalls, completely impossible to resist.

When they were in season, I made sure to get up extra early to nab the best pick of the early delivery. I would then head home as quickly as I could. Forget the niceties of a plate, knife and place to sit, leaning against the kitchen counter, juice running down my chin, was my preferred way to savor this delicacy.

If you do find ripe peaches at your local market, don’t hesitate, add them to your basket! Enjoy simply as they are, cut them into slices and place them in a chilled glass of rose wine, make a peach cobbler ice-cream, a peach grilled cheese, or better still, bake a simple peach, almond and thyme butter cake.

If you think peach and thyme sounds like an odd combination, trust me, the pairing works. There’s something about stone fruits and herbs that tastes exactly like a summer garden. Today’s recipe is mercifully simple: If you have to bake in summer, it has to be easy.

The cake is a mixture of almond flour, yogurt and lemon juice, and the result is a pudding-like sponge that is incredibly moist, but not too dense. When the cake emerges from the oven, golden and fragrant, a sweet and salty lemon thyme butter syrup is poured all over. This delicious addition sinks, luxuriously, infusing every crumb, not only with a depth of flavor, but also enhanced tenderness.

And good news for the impatient - my favorite way of enjoying this dessert is warm, straight from the oven with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. Or alternatively, the cake makes a delicious breakfast - cold with a big dollop of thick, tangy Greek yogurt

The full recipe, downloadable pdf and prep video is below!