Peaches & Cream Crumb Cake

4 cups peaches, sliced thin and pit removed
1 1/2 Tbls sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1 Tbls unflavored gelatin or collagen
1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cup corn meal or masa harina
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup cream or half & half
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease an 8" square or circular cake pan.

In a medium bowl, stir together the peaches, 1 1/2 Tbls sugar, gelatin, and ground ginger. If the fruit is frozen, it needs to be thawed.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, corn meal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut the butter into small cubes, then cut it into the flour mixture until the butter is all small pieces. Stir in the eggs and cream to make a thick, clumpy dough. Add more liquid if necessary, so there is no loose powder in the dough.

Put 1/2 of the crumb mixture into the bottom on the cake pan, in an even layer. Put the peach mixture in an even layer over the crumbs. Top with a layer of the remaining crumb mixture, sprinkling it in large clumps.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until lightly golden on top.

Spiced Almond Biscuits

1/2 cup cold butter

1/4 cup coconut oil or lard

1/2 cup raw sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

3 cups almond meal

about 1/2 cup cinnamon sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or grease it.

Cut the butter into small cubes. In a medium bowl, put in the butter, coconut oil/lard, and sugars. Use a pastry cutter to mix the butter and shortening into the sugar. When it is somewhat creamy, a beater can be used to mix it to a smooth, creamy texture. 

Beat in the vanilla and eggs until creamy again. Then stir in the baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

Stir in the almond meal one cup at a time. It will create a very soft, sticky dough.

Form the dough into small balls, the volume of about 2 tablespoons. Roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar until they are completely coated. Place the balls on the baking sheet at least 2" apart, as they spread quite a bit while baking. Gently compress the top of each ball, so it is just barely flat.

Bake for 11-13 minutes, until they are golden-brown around the edges.

Makes about 20 cookies.

Variations:

Use other spices or a mixture of spices.

Use other nut flours or a mixture of nut flours. I can sometimes find a mix of almond, coconut, pecan, and walnut, which is delicious.

Raspberry Seedcake

1/2 cup cream
8 oz. butter (1/2 cup)
6 Tbls. honey
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground mace
1 Tbls. caraway seeds
3 eggs
1/4 cup elderflower cordial (or 1 Tbls. elderflower syrup + 3 Tbls. water or carbonated water)
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup raspberries

Put the cream in a small pan over med-high heat. Stir it every 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat when it reaches a boil, turn the heat to med-low, and return the cream to heat. Stir gently but constantly until it scrapes clean from the bottom of the pan and is thickened--about 15 minutes from the start. Remove from heat and let cool.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Cream together the butter, honey, and cream. Stir in the spices and seeds. Add the eggs and cordial, beating to combine. Gently break the raspberries into several pieces, and coat them all with flour.  Add the 2 cups flour gradually to the batter, mixing it in completely before adding more. Add the baking powder with the flour. Then gently stir in the raspberries.  The batter will be very thick.

Line a bread pan with buttered baking paper. Pour in the batter and spread to smooth. Bake it for 1 hour, or until it tests done (probe comes out clean).