Peach Bavarian cake an only-in-Hawaii specialty

The peach Bavarian cake belongs to a class of only-in-Hawaii desserts that includes chocolate dream and chantilly cakes.

Basically they’re chiffon cakes with specific frostings — whipped cream in the case of the chocolate, butter- pecan in the case of chantilly, a peachy pudding in the case of the Bavarian.

I wish I knew their origin stories, as each cake was adapted widely by local bakeries to become part of our dessert landscape.

Move away, though, and your cake-specific craving will go unfulfilled, unless you make it yourself.

Such is the case with Gail Kawasaki, who has been living in Washington state for 10 years and recently moved her mother there to join her.

“One of the things she misses is Liliha Bakery’s peach Bavarian cake,” Kawasaki wrote. “I’ve gone through numerous cooking books that I have and could not find one.”

Yes, if you look up “peach Bavarian” without attaching the keyword “Hawaii” you’re likely to find a light pudding-type dessert. Its roots are in the Bavarian cream, or bavarois, a creamy vanilla dessert that is thickened with gelatin. If you can conjure an image of a panna cotta, you’d be in the right neighborhood.

Liliha Bakery does not share recipes, but I found three that I could use to launch some experimenting. Reader Cynthia Nakai sent in hers, which she pronounced “a light and delicious cake.” It is very similar to one from the venerable “Favorite Island Cookery” series, a peach refrigerator cake found in Book 1, published by the Honpa Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin in 1973. Cookbook author Jean Watanabe Hee has another in her “Best of the Best Hawai‘i Local Desserts” (Mutual Publishing, 2017, $15.95).

The recipes all used a premade chiffon cake as the base, with a filling made with powdered gelatin supplemented with Jell-O. Hee uses whipped cream and lemon Jell-O; the other two use whipped evaporated milk and orange Jell-O.

This recipe, based on these recipes and my own tinkering, is for the filling alone and can be eaten as a pudding. It won’t make a beautiful bakery-style layer cake. Instead, buy or make a vanilla chiffon cake (or another flavor; there are no rules here), slice and arrange half the pieces in a 9-by-13-inch pan.

Layer with the filling, more cake and more filling. Chill until firm enough to slice. The taste will be close, even if the appearance is wanting.

PEACH BAVARIAN PIE FILLING

By Betty Shimabukuro

• 2 (1/4-ounce) packages unflavored gelatin
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 (29-ounce) can sliced peaches
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 (3-ounce) package lemon or orange Jell-O
• 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk

Sprinkle gelatin over water and let sit to soften.

Drain peaches, reserving liquid. Cut into 1/4-inch pieces.

Place peaches and their liquid in saucepan; bring to boil. Add sugar and Jell-O; stir to dissolve.

Remove from heat and add gelatin (with water); stir to dissolve. Pour into bowl and chill until beginning to set.

Meanwhile, pour evaporated milk into mixing bowl and place in freezer with beaters from electric mixer. Chill until ice crystals start forming around bowl, about 30 minutes.

Beat evaporated milk until light and fluffy. Gently stir into chilled peach mixture to make a fluffy pudding. Makes about 8 cups.

Nutritional information unavailable.

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