Peach cake with raspberry sauce and ice cream

Method

1. For the cake, heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Drain the peach segments, then blot dry with plenty of kitchen paper. Arrange the best looking segments (about half) in the base of the cake tin in a single layer – they should be packed close but not touching. Roughly chop the remaining segments into thirds.
2. In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs in 3 batches, beating well after each addition, then add the lemon zest. In a separate mixing bowl, mix the flour and baking powder with a pinch of salt then, using a large metal spoon (and in three goes) fold into the cake batter. Fold in the cream, then the chopped peaches.
3. Carefully spoon the cake mixture over the peaches in the prepared tin, making sure you don’t spoil the pattern on the bottom. Smooth the top of the mixture, then bake for 40 minutes. Turn the oven down to 160°C/140°C fan/gas 3 and bake for another 40 minutes until the top is golden and a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then invert the cake onto a wire rack (so the peaches are now at the top). The top of the cake will look pale but don’t worry – it will be glazed later. Leave to cool completely.
4. While the cake is cooling, make the raspberry sauce. Put the raspberries, icing sugar, liqueur/water and lemon juice in a saucepan, add a splash of water, then heat gently until just simmering. Stir the mixture to break up the raspberries, then simmer for 5 minutes or until all the fruit has broken down. Taste for balance – you may want to add a little extra sugar, lemon juice or liqueur. When you’re happy, push the mixture through a sieve, pressing it through firmly with a wooden spoon so only the seeds and as little fruit as possible are left in the sieve (discard them). Set the sauce aside until ready to serve.
5. Once the cake has cooled, heat the grill to medium-high. Brush the jam all over the top of the cake so it’s thickly glazed. Put it on a baking tray and grill until the jam bubbles and begins to caramelise. Depending on which jam you’re using, you may need to add a sprinkle of caster sugar and grill for a little longer
   to get a really golden caramelised finish. Once you’re happy with the colour, remove the cake from the grill and either serve immediately with vanilla ice cream and the raspberry sauce or keep in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to cut later the same day.