Life’s funny sometimes. You plan and you plan and you plan, and then you realize your plans melt into your other plans and you try to figure out a way to make it all work, and somehow it does, but in the end all that working and planning and thinking and fretting just makes you oh so unbelievably tired. Does that make sense? I don’t know. Lately I’ve felt like my mind’s a giant black hole, just sucking everything in so fast that I can’t even decipher what it all was in the first place. I answer questions while my mind is thinking about something entirely different, completely unaware of the words tumbling out of my mouth. I have a wonderful husband who is very kind and patient, and I can’t help but feel awful about the number of times over the past month he’s been talking to me about something and I’ve completely spaced out in the middle of the conversation. Or I’ll be so deep into writing that I don’t even hear that someone’s spoken to me until a good 30 seconds goes by, and by that time they kinda hate me (I’ve done this to an unfortunate number of baristas in the Portland metro area, and I feel terrible). But I guess that’s part of writing a book, you just give yourself over to it at a certain point, and it becomes your whole life.
As of right now, my book is due in less than a week and I am so, so beyond excited to turn it in. I know it is going to be incredible and full of delicious food and beautiful images, but I’m also just excited to have my life back again. I was traveling a lot this spring, and between my freelance photography work, the cookbook, and the home remodeling, there hasn’t been much time to do fun life things, like go on a hike with my husband, or take my mom out for lunch, or spend an entire glorious weekend out in the garden with a beer in one hand and a trowel in the other. Soon. Wonderfully, fantastically soon. But until that time, I’m breaking up my bouts of writing with little sweet things, and because of the increased lengths of my writing bouts, I decided to increase the little sweet things to big sweet things, and I made this decadent cake as my own beautiful band aid.
To start the cake, I stirred fresh thyme, peaches, and strawberries into the buttermilk batter. The smell while it baked away in the oven was comforting enough, but then I layered fresh peaches and strawberries with a homemade mascarpone whipped cream between each layer, and tasted it. It was probably the closest to heaven I’ll ever get, and every bite made my troubles feel a little less terrifying and a little more approachable. And now that I have only a few days left, I’m feeling really good about it. I do think I’m genuinely getting better at managing my own anxieties, so I’ll credit this new sense of calm to my own will power…and maybe a little bit to the cheesecake I made after this. To cake, and all its wondrous healing powers.
And on a side note, there’s a few spaces left at our Sweden workshop this summer, you can read more about it here and join us lakeside. We’d love to have you 🙂
Strawberry, Thyme, and Peach Buttermilk Cake with Mascarpone Whipped Cream
Ingredients
Strawberry, Thyme, & Peach Buttermilk Cake
- 3 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large peach pitted and chopped
- 3 large strawberries diced
- 1 tablespoon diced fresh thyme leaves
Mascarpone Whipped Cream
- 1 cup mascarpone
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 12 strawberries thinly sliced
- 2 peaches cut into eighths
- fresh fruit or flowers for garnishing on top
- For the strawberry thyme & peach buttermilk cake, mix together the flour, baking soda, ginger and salt in a medium bowl until combined. Set aside.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease 2 (8-inch) cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper, set aside.
- Cream together the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment at medium speed until smooth and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Lower the speed and add the buttermilk and vanilla extract, mixing until combined. Add the flour mixture and mix until a batter forms, then stir in the strawberries, peaches, and thyme until just incorporated.
- Evenly distribute the batter between the 2 (8-inch) cake pans and bake until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake coms out relatively clean (unless you poked through fruit bit), about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove and allow to cool for 15 minutes before running a spatula around the edge of the pan and flipping the pan over onto a wire rack, removing the pan and allowing the cakes to cool completely on the racks.
- For the mascarpone whipped cream, beat together the mascarpone, whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment at medium high speed until fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Cut each of the cake layers in half horizontally using a sharp bread knife, you should now have 4 layers. Divide the mascarpone whipped cream into 4 parts and spread out 3 parts between the layers of cake along with the fresh strawberry and peach slices. Place the remaining fourth of the mascarpone whipped cream on top of the cake in a dollop and arrange fresh fruit or flowers around it, serve immediately. (Note, if you are using inedible flowers as a decoration, leave them at that and make sure everyone knows not to eat them).
how exciting…i bet the book has so many deliciousness!!! I am glad you are less anxious, thanks to the cake 🙂
Thank you so much Dixya!!
It sounds like you're just pretty tired. And I'm not surprised seeing how much you've got on your plate. But it will all be worth it and I'm sure the cookbook is going to be amazing!
Thanks too for finding the time to put together this blog post and make such a gorgeous cake. Wow!
Wishing you well.
Thank you for your kind words, Kimberly! I think that is most definitely it, I've been having a hard time sleeping lately too so that probably isn't helping matters haha.
It must be simultaneously exciting and intimidating to be so close to being finished! And a beautiful cake like this is always the best way to celebrate such an achievement. Yay!
Indeed!!! Thanks you Eileen!!! 🙂
When is your book due to be out!? I can't wait to have tangible version of all your beautiful creations.
Awwww thank you!! It won't be out for a while, Fall 2016 is the release date, but I'll definitely be sharing it here once it's out 😀
I feel the exact same way about planning right now. It just takes over your life and fills you with worry all for no reason at all. I am trying to let go a bit more lately. Looking at this gorgeous cake is certainly helping!
It really can just make things overly complicated when you plan too much. I need to let go a bit more, too, and just relax a little bit. Glad the cake is helping! 🙂
What a gorgeous cake! Love the use of peaches, I really ought to use those in baking more 🙂
Thanks June!
Yes, finish your book and come do wonderful things with me! All over Portland! We both live here now!!!!!!
I knowwwww!!! I have just been like a hermit over here in NE, I hardly ever leave the house haha. Soon though, I will be able to roam the city streets once again!
Hi there. Cake looks just smashing! Just wondering about the thyme. Garnish or baked in the cake? Recipe doesn't specify. Looking forward to baking this in the next week or so
Ah! Thanks for checking! It's incorporated into the batter, just updated the recipe 🙂
OMG Eva, I can relate to this post so so so much!! My last twenty five days sound like yours, through and through as I have been so immersed on writing my novel that all the tme I am thinking about it, whenever someone talks to me I am thinking out dialogues and actions and whole chapters in my head, and I fail to make any reasonable reply to inquiries my son or husband make!!! Cannot wait to finish and have my lifeand mind back, ehehehh. This cake looks beyond stunning, I love the pairing of strawberries and peaches so I'm thinking this will be a mighty good one.
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Oh yes, it totally does just take over everything and turn your brain to mush haha. But just thin how wonderful it will be once it is all done! I imagine it will be like having the earth lifted off your shoulders, or something similar! And thank you for your kind words, Miranda 🙂
omg this is so beautiful!!!!
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Thank you, Anna!!
Beautiful! I'd even eat the flowers! 🙂
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This is beautiful, Eva! I can sort of relate to what you wrote about in this post… I'm starting college – abroad – in just a few months, and have so much paperwork to do, along with the added stressors of finding an apartment, roommate, getting documents renewed etc. It's so incredibly difficult to balance everything out!
Anyways, your book is going to be gorgeous and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy. You are so talented. <3
It's so beautiful!
Hang in there and eat more cake! Your energy enthusiasm and passion will carry you through but it's important to pause every now and then to just take a deep breath. Sending love and support your way and looking forward to seeing the cookbook.
This is the most beautiful, fairy-fantasy, spring cake I've seen ever. Ever! I cannot wait to make this one. Beyond!
Congratulations on the book. May it be a HUGE success!
xox,
A.
Eva! Your first paragraph here describes exactly how dissertating feels! I've never been able to put this brain-fog but not at all into words, but you've done it. (Not that that's a good thing…being able to precisely describe the overwhelm isn't a skill one wants, right?) But holy cow, you've made a book! And that makes it all worth it. I'm so glad that your first draft is almost in. What a relief! I hope you get some time to chill out and cook whatever the heck you want…or not cook at all!
Omg your pictures are incredible! Wish I could take pictures like that ;( any hoo, I love your food blog. Please check out mine and let's connect?
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what a lovely awesome cake very attractive.. hmmmmmm yummy 🙂 Thank you 🙂 private chef in austin texas
what a lovely awesome cake very attractive.. hmmmmmm yummy 🙂 Thank you 🙂 private chef in austin texas
That cake is just…mesmerizing!!! I hope I'll be able to make it at least half as good as shown in the pictures 🙂
I hope you finished your book with flying colours and not too much stress! That's going to be one gorgeous book Eva!! And this cake … the photographs alone are hitting me over the head with their beauty, hah!! The flavours sound divine – so tangy and sweet and creamy… xo
A very belated question, but looking back over your archive I’ve happened across this recipe just perfect for southern hemisphere’s summer! Just wondering whether the cake would be ok for a few hours before serving (you’ve said to serve immediately)? Is the risk the cake will go soggy? Would love to make this for a friend’s birthday.
Hello 🙂 I tried this cake for the first time as a test run for a bday party. We finished it of in a day. It is rely nice. The second time I made it it was for the actual bday, but I changed the quantities of ingredients a bit, because the bday friend does not like sweet stuff to much. I halved the sugar, more than doubled the ginger and doubled the thyme and quadrupled the quantity of fruit in the batter. I also had to bake it for about half longer. My point is that both cakes are gorgeous. Even my friend who does not like sweet stuff to much asked for the recipe. In case you have a patreon account or some sort of payment channel set up let me know. I am going to use a lot of your recipes and would like to reimburse you 🙂
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