Description
Ina Garten’s peach almond torte blends rustic French baking with summer’s sweetest fruits. Delicate almond cream and ripe peaches create a harmonious dessert that delights palates and celebrates seasonal bounty.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 large peaches, 340g / ¾ pound, unpeeled, cut into 8–10 wedges
- 1 stick, 113g / ¼ pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tbsps Grand Marnier
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp pure almond extract
- ¾ cup, 150g granulated sugar
- 1 cup, 125g all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsps turbinado sugar (Sugar in the Raw)
- 2 tbsps blanched, sliced almonds
- confectioners’ sugar (icing sugar), for dusting
Instructions
- Preparation: Preheat oven to 175°C / 350°F and thoroughly grease an 8-inch springform pan to ensure easy release.
- Peach Marinade: Infuse peach wedges with Grand Marnier, allowing the fruit to absorb citrusy undertones while preparing the remaining components.
- Butter Mixture: Cream butter and sugar using an electric mixer until the mixture becomes light, fluffy, and pale, creating a smooth foundation for the torte.
- Wet Ingredients: Blend vanilla and almond extracts into the creamed mixture, then incorporate eggs one at a time, ensuring complete integration and smooth consistency.
- Dry Ingredients: Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together, creating a uniform dry mixture that will provide structure to the torte.
- Batter Assembly: Gently fold dry ingredients into the wet mixture on low speed, mixing until a cohesive batter forms without overworking the blend.
- Pan Arrangement: Transfer batter to the prepared pan, smoothing the surface evenly and arranging marinated peach wedges in attractive concentric circles.
- Topping Application: Sprinkle turbinado sugar and sliced almonds across the torte, creating a rustic, textured exterior that will caramelize during baking.
- Baking Process: Bake for 45-50 minutes, rotating midway through, until the surface turns golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Finishing Touch: Remove from oven, cool briefly on a wire rack, and dust with powdered sugar before serving warm or at room temperature for optimal enjoyment.
Notes
- Marinate Mindfully: Soak peaches in Grand Marnier for enhanced flavor depth, but don’t overdo it – 15-20 minutes is perfect to prevent fruit from becoming too soggy.
- Mix with Precision: Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, which takes about 3-4 minutes, creating the torte’s signature light texture.
- Flour Finesse: Sift dry ingredients thoroughly to eliminate lumps and ensure even baking, preventing unexpected dense spots in the final dessert.
- Topping Technique: Arrange peach slices carefully in concentric circles, slightly overlapping, to create a visually stunning and evenly distributed fruit layer.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 290
- Sugar: 20g
- Sodium: 120mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 36g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 80mg