Tropical Tumbler Trifle

Something a bit different today...a mini mid-week offering. These Tropical Tumbler Trifles serve two purposes:

1. I'm having a bit of an oven crisis at the moment...since moving into a new house I've been battling with a new oven that doesn't want to play ball...there have been one or two cake wrecks thus far! So this is a no bake option that doesn't require a temperamental oven!
2. It is my entry into new blogging challenge 'Dish of the Month'...find out more below.

This is so simple to make, so if you want something quick and easy or you're having oven problems like me then give this a go. The tropical aspect comes from the hidden surprise in the bottom of the tumbler...banana that has been brought to the boil in coconut milk and then left to cool. You can just see a hint of the banana at the bottom of the glass. On top of this there are sliced peaches, whipped cream with vanilla extract and some crushed ginger nuts.

As mentioned I'm entering my trifles into new challenge, Dish of the Month. All you need to do to enter is make and blog any Nigel Slater recipe, the idea arisng from his Dish of the Day programme. The challenge is being run jointly by Janice from Farmersgirl Kitchen and Sue from A Little Bit of Heaven on a Plate.

You can find the recipe for these trifles on the BBC GoodFood website. Although a word of warning, if you're thinking about making them then check the ingredient list as the proportions don't seem quite right for two people....500ml double cream for two? I would say you could probably half all the ingredients except the banana and so not to be wasteful, find another use for the coconut milk once used as a boiling liquid. I also used peach slices as they fitted more neatly into the glass.

Peaches & Cream Upside Down Cake

Have you been looking for a simple yet impressive cake that takes next to no time to whip up? If so, you can end your search here...this Peaches & Cream Upside Down Cake is a beauty. For not much more effort than a Victoria sponge you can make this light, summery and quite frankly delicious cake! Conincidentally, the bakers on the Great British Bake Off were also making upside down cakes this week, although their's were a little more fancy than this one! I took my cake out of the oven about 5 minutes before the new series started...must be psychic!

You could use your regular Victoria sponge recipe to make this, all that is required is to cut three ripe peaches into 8 slices per peach. Toss the peach slices in 85g of light brown sugar and arrange on the bottom of a base lined 20cm sandwich tin (also grease the sides with a little butter). Split your Victoria sponge mix in half and spread half in a second sandwich tin and half over the arranged peaches. Bake for 20-25 minutes or however long your sponge recipe suggests. The tin with peaches in may take around 5-15 minutes longer than the other so keep an eye on it. Both sponges should be golden brown.

To finish sandwich the two cakes together with cream. The original recipe suggests using clotted cream which I'm sure is delicious but I thought it might be a little bit rich, so I whipped up some double cream.

The BBC Goodfood website has a good recipe for a 'Classic Sponge Sandwich' which I used. Finally, I'd recommend not using loose-bottomed sandwich tins...I tried this previously (as suggested by the recipe) when I made an Apricot Upside Down Cake but it ended in tears when most of the apricot juice and sugar leaked out of the bottom!!!

I'm entering this cake into the One Ingredient Challenge with peaches being this month's special ingredient. The challenge is hosted by Nazima at Working London Mummy, who is this month's host, and Laura at How to Cook Good Food.

I'm also entering it into Simple and in Season hosted by Fabulicious Food as fabulously juicy peaches are now in season. Check out more about Eating with the Seasons here.

Finally, I'm entering it into a new Great British Bake Off Challenge hosted by Lottie's World of Cakes and Bakes where she is inviting participants to enter bakes inspired by the GBBO. So seeing they started the new series with Upside Down Cakes this is perfect! :-)