Peach Crunch Cake

 
This is a recipe I was working on posting when I got the news earlier this week that my mother had passed away.  I couldn't quite bring myself to finish the post, so it has sat here all week in limbo waiting.  Today is the day of my mother's funeral.  I cannot be there which really breaks my heart.  I still can't quite bring myself to believe that she is gone  . . .
 
I've been trying to stay super busy all week so that I don't have to think about it all.  As soon as I stop and slow down, the tears come and my heart feels as if it is going to break in two. They tell me that with time this lessens, and the sadness is replaced with happy memories.  I hope that is true.
 
This was a dessert I prepared earlier this week when our friends Tina and Tony came to us for lunch.  Its a bit of a cheat really, as it uses only 5 ingredients, and those are all store cupboard ingredients . . .  things you are likely to always have in the house.
 
Tinned sliced peaches, a vanilla cake mix, butter, soft light brown sugar and chopped walnuts . . .  that's it!
 
You layer the ingredients in a baking dish, beginning with the undrained peaches . . . I used peaches in juice, but you could also use peaches in syrup.  It depends on how much sugar you want to ingest. 
 
After that you sprinkle the cake mix over top.  The original recipe used a yellow cake mix, but we don't get those over here.  We do get vanilla cake mix and that is what I used.  I am sure any cake mix would work.  Spice, lemon, anything but chocolate.
 
Over the cake mix you layer on slices of butter.  Just dab them here and there, trying to cover as much of the cake mix as you can.  I cut the butter very thinly.
 
You sprinkle the brown sugar over top of the butter slices  . . .  I push it through a sieve so that there are no lumps, but you don't have to do that if you don't want to.  I'm just pedantic like that.
 
I just try to sprinkle it over as evenly as I can  . . .
 
Finally, chopped walnuts are scattered over top  . . .  and then it is popped into the oven.
 
Where somehow, magically  . . .  some of the cake mix sinks into the peach juices thickening them into a sauce . . .
  
and the cake mix that doesn't sink works together with the butter, brown sugar and nuts to make a nutty crunchy topping.  It just works.  I don't know how, but it does. Its delicious.
Yield: 8Author: Marie RaynerPrint Recipe
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Peach Crunch Cake

prep time: 10 minscook time: 45 minstotal time: 55 minsA bit of a cheat, but delicious nonetheless. Very simple to make and uses store cupboard ingredients.

ingredients:

• 2 (215g) tins of sliced peaches in juice, undrained (24.5 ounces)
• 1 (425g) vanilla cake mix (family size vanilla or yellow cake mix)
• 125g butter, cut into 16 pieces (1/2 cup)
• 200g soft light brown sugar (1 cup, packed)
• 45g chopped walnuts

To serve (optional):

• custard, pouring cream or vanilla ice cream

instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Layer all the ingredients in a 13 by 9 inch baking dish (or 8 individual single serving dishes), beginning with the peaches. Sprinkle the cake mix evenly over top of the peaches.  Lay the butter slices over top of the cake.  Sprinkle on the brown sugar, evenly, then sprinkle with the chopped walnuts.  Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling.  Serve hot or cold with custard, pouring cream, or vanilla ice cream.

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I like to serve this warm with either vanilla ice cream on top or with pouring cream or custard.  Todd likes the custard. Tony wanted both cream and custard.  Tina took the cream.  Me  . . .  ice cream all the way.  I am such a North American.   Bon Appetit!