Spoon & Shutter

Simple Summer Fruit Cake - made with plums

From Susan: I know I shouldn’t be complaining, and I’m not, really, because I AM, after all, on vacation, staying in a charming cove-side cottage on the coast of Maine. There are kayak trips to paddle, beaches to sit on, friends to visit with, beautiful walks to take and Mount Gay and tonics to enjoy at cocktail hour. BUT – I’ve been waiting all month for a good, chilly, foggy, rainy Maine day to stay inside, brew a pot of tea – and BAKE! Like the rest of the East Coast, it’s been downright HOT here; my well-stocked sweatshirt drawer has gone unopened and frankly, the unrelenting sunshine and warm weather is starting to get on my nerves …

Ripe plums on the cottage windowsill

Yesterday, it was cloudy, and while not exactly chilly, cool enough to turn on the oven. Out came the butter to soften (which happened in about 10 minutes …) and I set about making a simple summer cake. Good for dessert or for breakfast, with our without ice cream, whipped cream or even, if you’re having it in the morning, a scoop of vanilla yogurt, this is the sort of easy cake everyone should have in their recipe repertoire. It works equally well with the plums I used, peaches or apples and goes together in a snap. Non-bakers, take heart – you can do this too!

(Photography note: Ted is home in NJ for a few days working on several photo assignments, so these are my snapshots – I always feel like I have to say that!)

The cake ready to bake

Simple Summer Cake with Fruit

1 ¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp. baking powder

Pinch salt

1 stick butter (8 tbsp.)

10 tbsp. sugar

1 large egg

½ tsp. vanilla or almond extract

3 ripe, black plums, pitted and quartered, each quarter cut into three slices (or use peaches or apples)

1 tsp. lemon juice

Ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan. In a small bowl mix together flour, baking powder and salt.

In a medium saucepan, melt 6 tbsp. of the butter. Stir in 6 tbsp. sugar and let cool 10 mins. Add egg and vanilla or almond extract and stir well. Stir in flour mixture. Spread dough evenly in pan. Arrange fruit in a circle pattern on top, skin side up, pressing lightly into the dough. Drizzle fruit with lemon juice and sprinkle with remaining 4 tbsp. sugar. Sprinkle with cinnamon and dot with remaining 2 tbsp. butter. Bake 25-30 mins. Or until cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Adapted from a recipe published in O Magazine