Summer fruit cake

Just after I said that summer fruit is better when straight from the bush, I came across this recipe.

The combination of colors and tastes looked too good to pass up. I never thought about putting peaches and blueberries in one cake. Not to mention throwing raspberries and apricots in with them. All between a layer of soft cake and a crunchy crumble. Beautiful!

I made the dessert in the morning, when I realized that I ate the last piece of my almond cake*. After a dry, crunchy, uni-color dessert, I had an appetite for the opposite. I went to a near-by store, got a couple of  nectarines, apricots, a hand-full of berries. I almost doubled the recommended fruit amount, but I didn't overdo it. I wanted a cake, not a cobbler.

The cake is fantastic. The melange of colors and flavors is very attractive to your eye and the taste buds. It looked so good on the kitchen table, made me happy just walking by it.

Recipe adapted from Giallo Zafferano
time: 20 min preparation + 60 min baking

ingredients
for cake

• 170 g (11 Tablespoons) butter, room temperature
• 170 g (5/6 cup) sugar
• 3 eggs +  1 egg yolk
• 200 g (1 1/3 cups flour)
• 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 medium nectarines
• 7 medium apricots
• 200 g (7 oz) blueberries
• 200 g (7 oz) raspberries

for crumble

• 75 g (1/2 cup) flour
• 75 g (1/2 cup) almond meal
• 75 g (1/3 cup) brown sugar
• 75 g (5 Tablespoons) cold butter
• 2 generous pinches of salt
• grated zest from 1 lemon

instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180C/355F (static function). Butter a 20x30cm (8x12inch) ceramic dish. Line it with parchment paper.
2. Prepare crumble. Place all the ingredients in a food processor with a steal blade. Pulse several times till all greased. Put it in the fridge.
3. Remove pits and slice nectarines and apricots in .5cm (.2inch) wedges.
4. Prepare cake. In a medium bowl, sift in flour with baking powder and salt.
5. In a bowl of a standing mixer, beat butter with sugar till fluffy. Add eggs and yolk, one at the time. Blend them in. Add vanilla. It's OK if it becomes grainy. Add flour mix. Combine it all till smooth.
6. Transfer cake batter into the prepared form. Spread half of the berries on top. Lay apricots and nectarines slices tightly against each other (side with skin - up), alternating the fruit. Don't force the fruit into the batter. Spread rest of berries on top. Drop the crumble evenly on the fruit. Don't press on it. Place it in the hot oven for 60 minutes, till top is browned. Take it out. Let it cool in the form for 20 minutes. Take it out of the form and let it cool some more...or not.