SUMMER FRUIT CAKES

Summer Fruit Cakes

Servings: eight to ten.

You can use just about any summer fruit you like to top the cakes. Just reach for whatever looks ripest and smells most fragrant. Give stone fruit—like peaches, nectarines, plums, and apricots—a good sniff. The aroma should be strong and vibrant, with the fruit “giving” ever so slightly at the shoulders when gently pressed. Look for plump blueberries or raspberries with good color and no mold. But if all you find is less-than-wonderful fruit, add a squeeze of lemon juice and some extra sugar to the prepared fruit before tossing in the remaining topping ingredients.

Ingredients

• 6 oz. (1-1/3 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour; more for the pan
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. table salt
• 3 oz. (6 Tbs.) unsalted butter, at room temperature; more for the pan
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup (5-1/2 oz.) sour cream

For the topping:

• 1 plum (or pluot or ripe apricot), halved, pitted, and cut into 1/8- to 1/4-inch slices
• 2 tsp. finely grated fresh ginger
• 3 Tbs. firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 Tbs. unbleached all-purpose flour
• Whipped cream, for garnish (optional)

Nutritional Information

Preparation

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 9×2-inch round cake pan. Line the bottom with a parchment circle cut to fit the pan and lightly flour the sides, tapping out the excess.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, ground ginger, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar on medium-high until well blended and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating on medium speed until just blended and adding the vanilla with the second egg. Using a wide rubber spatula, fold in half the dry ingredients, then the sour cream, and then the remaining dry ingredients. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the topping: combine the sliced fruit and the grated ginger in a small bowl and toss until the ginger is well distributed. Add the sugar and flour. Using a table fork, mix the ingredients to coat the fruit evenly. After the cake has baked for 15 minutes, scatter the topping evenly over the cake, working quickly. Don’t worry about the fruit looking perfect—this is a rustic cake. Continue baking until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, another 35 to 40 minutes.
• Let the cake cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the inside edge of the pan. Using a dry dishtowel to protect your hands, lay a rack on top of the cake pan and, holding onto both pan and rack, invert the cake. Lift the pan from the cake. Peel away the parchment. Lay a flat serving plate on the bottom of the cake and flip the cake one more time so that the fruit is on top. Serve warm or at room temperature, with whipped cream if you like.