How to make cake using summer or winter fruit

by Mara | Jun 17, 2021 | Baking, Harvests, In the kitchen

In the freezer are containers full of boysenberries, raspberries and strawberries.

In the winter garden, rhubarb!

Pudding like cake with summer boysenberries stored in our freezer.

There is a cake recipe that I have adapted to make the most of my fruit harvest.

This recipe is best when baked in a baking dish, not tin. The reason being that tin baking forms taint the cakes flavour over time. If eating this cake in one day use tin, but if it is to be kept beyond a day then avoid using a tin form. As the final result is a pudding-like cake that can’t be tipped out, a baking dish will ensure a better-flavoured cake over time. Regardless of which you use.

Berries were defrosted then placed in two layers. Layer one was pressed into the soft dough. Then layer two was added.

Use 180g softened unsalted butter

150g of raw sugar

270g plain white flour (or wholemeal for better health!)

2tsp of baking powder

½ tsp of salt

2 large eggs (or 4 small ones)

100-150ml of milk (if using wholemeal flour you will need a little more milk)

½ C ground almonds

Served hot, this simple pudding-like cake is a winter favourite in our home and uses any fruit readily available to us.

Berries, stone or pome fruit or rhubarb. If using stone fruit, cut fruit in half and remove stone. If using pome fruits such as apples, cut any size you like and remove seeds. The fruit will be placed on top of the cake. Place fruit cut side up, but really whichever way you like. It will taste just as good. Be playful if you have time and create patterns of your choice.

Topping

60g butter

½ cup castor sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp of vanilla

½ tsp of grated ginger

2 large eggs

Use my recipe as a guide because I love using recipes as a guide myself so that I can be free to use what I have.

Winter rhubarb coated in butter, sugar, egg, cinnamon, ginger and vanilla.

If you have a new oven that heats up quickly turn it on halfway through the making process to reduce energy waste.

Make the topping first. Melt butter then mix in sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and ginger. Once the melted butter mixture is cool add beaten eggs. Rest and start making the batter.

Cream butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. In a separate bowl beat eggs, add milk and mix the two together.

This is a good time to turn the oven on to 180C.

To the creamed butter/sugar mixture add sifted flour & baking soda. Add salt and mix. Now add milk and egg mixture and mix well. It should produce a soft loose dough that falls easily from the spoon.

Grab a baking dish or tin and oil it well using a pastry brush, paper or your fingers. Then dust with flour by placing a spoonful of flour in the baking dish or tin. Rotate the dish by holding with both hands to coat the entire surface with a very light dusting of flour. This reduces sticking.

Now add loose dough mixture to the dish, spread lightly to retain air. The dish should be large enough to ensure the mixture only fills it halfway, to allow for the caky pudding to rise. Place ground almonds on entire surface. Now add fruit of your choice. Start in the middle circling out, then push the berries into the dough. Now repeat. The aim is for this caky pudding to be rich with fruit, hence do two layers of fruit.