From late spring into the fall, this cake is a terrific way to celebrate the spectacular fruits that make our hearts flutter and our minds race as we stand in the center of our busy farmers’ market, wondering how to respond to the season’s ridiculous abundance. Our grateful but simple response to fruit? Some we leave out in a bowl to eat and some we bake into cake.
This summer we felt gratified when some particularly abstemious guests wanted an extra slice.
We were dining in the mountains where, regardless how hot it is in the city, the air begins to cool by 7. We’d eaten grilled chicken in pita (a recipe from The Away Café, of course) with beautiful sliced fresh fruit (their gift) for dinner, and we savored conversation along with our dessert as the sun sank in the sky. A pair of sandhill cranes spread their massive wings above us, uttering their fairy-tale call.
Summer Fruit Custard Cake
Serves 8
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar, plus more for sprinkling on top (3/4 to 1 cup for a plum cake)
1/4 cup sour cream
zest from 1/2 small lemon (omit for plum cake and replace with 1 teaspoon cinnamon)
13 ounces rhubarb stalks, chopped or 24 Italian prune plums or 1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
Preheat oven to 350°. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together baking powder, salt, lemon zest, and 1 cup all-purpose flour. In a separate, large bowl, whisk together eggs, egg yolk, and 1 1/2 cups sugar until very pale and thick, about 1 minute.
Stir in the melted butter and sour cream. Add the dry ingredients to the wet. Stir gently until the batter is smooth, then pour it into the prepared pan. Chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes, unless you’re in a hurry.
With a light touch, arrange the fruit over the batter however you like. Sprinkle it with additional sugar (turbindo creates extra sparkle, if you’re NOT on vacation and have it on hand). Bake until the cake is barely golden on top 40 to 50 minutes. You want a little color on the top of the cake, but it should still look underbaked; this is a custard cake and has a texture that is both cakey and gooey.
Move the cake to a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Slide a knife around the sides of the cake to loosen it from the pan, tip it out onto a plate, then tip back from the plate onto the cooling rack so it can finish cooling right side up. Serve with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or crème fresh.
