Meredith Hayden, the chef and content creator behind @WishboneKitchen, is known for her laid-back yet thoughtful approach to cooking. With a background as a private chef in the Hamptons, she brings a mix of elegance and ease to her recipes, often drawing from nostalgic memories and seasonal ingredients to create dishes that feel both comforting and elevated. This Olive Oil Cake with Peaches & Cream is perfect for summer gatherings, layered with ripe peaches and your choice of whipped cream or a more heat-proof Italian buttercream.

My mom, like myself, is notoriously not a baker, so on special occasions, she’d treat us to a store-bought angel food cake, a can of Reddi Wip,
and a carton of strawberries. Then during my private chef days, I was introduced to the famous peaches and cream pie at Briermere Farms. This is basically a combination of those two desserts, using my all-

time favourite olive oil cake recipe and whatever fruit is in season, although I’m partial to peaches. For the whipped topping I’ve included two options: a simple three-ingredient whipped cream and a slightly more complicated Italian buttercream. While the whipped cream is easy and delicious, the buttercream is much more stable in hot and humid temperatures. So if you’re serving this on a hot summer day, or assembling it in advance, I highly suggest opting for the buttercream.

INGREDIENTS – Serves 8

For the Olive Oil Cake

3⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for preparing the pan

11⁄2 cups plain flour, plus 1 tablespoon for dusting

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1⁄4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 cup sugar, plus more for dusting and macerating

1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest

2 medium eggs, at room temperature

1 cup whole milk, at room temperature

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 pounds fruit of your choice, in this case peaches, sliced

Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream or Vanilla Buttercream (see below), for serving

Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream

2 cups cold double cream

1⁄3 cup icing sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste

Vanilla Bean Buttercream

1 batch of Marshmallow Meringue (page 256)

4 sticks (32 tablespoons) softened unsalted butter, cubed into tablespoon-size pieces

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 190°C.

PREP THE CAKE PAN: Coat an 8-inch round cake pan with olive oil, line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, and lightly brush the parchment with olive oil. Coat the inside of the pan with 1 tablespoon of flour, turning the pan over and tapping out any excess.

COMBINE THE DRY INGREDIENTS: In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining 11⁄2 cups of flour, the salt, baking powder, and bicarbonate of soda.

MIX THE BATTER: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl if you plan to use a hand mixer, combine
1 cup of the sugar and the lemon zest. Use your fingers to massage the lemon zest into the sugar to bring out the oils in the lemon zest. Add the eggs and beat on high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Switch the speed to medium and slowly stream in the olive oil. Beat until fully incorporated, about 2 minutes. Add the milk and lemon juice and beat on low until just combined.

COMBINE WET AND DRY: Stop the mixer and add half of the dry ingredients to the wet, and beat on low speed until most of the flour is incorporated. Stop the mixer, and add the remaining dry ingredients. Beat on low until just combined. Do not overmix or your cake will be tough.

BAKE THE CAKE: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle
2 tablespoons of sugar evenly over the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out mostly clean, 35 to 40 minutes.

COOL THE CAKE: Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Carefully run a paring knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the sides, remove the cake from the pan, and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Allow the cake to cool for at least 1 hour before slicing or serving.

MACERATE THE FRUIT: In a large bowl, combine the fruit with a few tablespoons of sugar, more or less depending on your preference and the natural sweetness of the fruit. Toss to coat and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

PREPARE THE WHIPPED TOPPING: You can make either the whipped cream or the buttercream.

For the whipped cream, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in a large bowl if you’d rather use a hand mixer, combine the cream, icing sugar, and vanilla bean paste. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to the fridge until you’re ready to use. This will stay good and fluffy in the fridge for a few hours.

For the buttercream, prepare a batch of the marshmallow meringue according to the directions on page 256. Keep the mixer running on low speed and add in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue beating until the butter is fully incorporated and you achieve a smooth and silky consistency.

TO SERVE: If using the buttercream, spread it over the top of the cake and pile it high with fruit. This can be assembled and kept in the fridge or at room temperature a few hours in advance.

If using the whipped cream, slice the cake into eight equal pieces. Transfer to dessert plates and top each slice with a dollop of whipped cream and a serving of fruit. Serve right away.

The Wishbone Kitchen by Meredith Hayden (Ebury Press, £26). Photography by Emma Fishman.