Summer Fruit Cake ~YOUR WAY #baketogether

#baketogether decision time.. This was an easy one.  Let’s make a single layer cake that highlights summer’s best fruit. This recipe is about as straight-forward as a cake can get – no fancy ingredients (unless YOU want ’em),  a simple preparation and the presentation is as casual or fancy as you want to make it. One note on the image above, after shooting and eating this cake, I decided to increase the amount of berries. the recipe below reflects that increase even though the pic doesn’t.

We #baketogether folks are super casual, right? Well, being that it’s summer and we are all busy chillin’, workin’ or travelin’, let’s go uber cool and get ourselves into the kitchen between now and the end of August to bake up this little honey of a cake. Cool with that? Good. Of course, I don’t want you to think you can’t post right now.. please post when ready. Just remember to mention #baketogether in your post  & link back to the original recipe and use the hashtag on your tweets so we can follow the conversation and, hopefully, make new #baketogether friends. There’s always plenty of room in our kitchen. Lastly, post a link to your creation in the comments below so that I can keep close tabs for the #round up.

OK.. so we have a recipe (see below).. now it’s time for everyone to switch it up. Will you:

– add a chopped herb?

– switch-in a different flavoring?

– change the dairy? (can anyone say coconut milk?)

– change the fruit?

– make it chocolate?

– make it cupcakes?

– frost it?

– serve it with a sauce?

– make a topping?

How about all of the above?

I’ll tip my hand and tell you that I’m thinking of using even more berries than the amended amount with a touch of cornmeal, ginger instead of orange and add a streusel topping.. oh and I might also switch up the sugars.. we’ll see what happens.

Can’t wait to make and taste everyone’s Summer Fruit Cake ~ YOUR WAY!

Abby

Summer Fruit Cake ~Your Way
Makes 10 servings.

1 1/3 cups (6 ounces) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup (5 1/2 ounces) sour cream

For the topping:
1/2 pint (6 ounces) raspberries or blackberries
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon all purpose flour

Position an oven rack on the middle rung. Heat the oven to 350°F degrees. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9×2-inch round cake pan. Lightly flour the sides and line the bottom with a parchment or nonstick baking circle.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well blended. In a large bowl, beat the butter, and sugar with an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high until well blended, about 3 minutes.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating on medium speed until just blended. Add the orange zest and vanilla along with the second egg. Using a wide rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients and the sour cream alternately into the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.  Bake for 15 minutes.

After you put the cake in the oven, make the topping. Combine the raspberries, sugar, and flour in a small bowl. Using a table fork, mix the ingredients together to evenly coat the fruit and lightly crush the fruit. After the cake has baked for 15 minutes, working quickly, slide the oven rack out and scatter the fruit evenly over the top of the cake. Continue baking until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about another 23 to 25 minutes.

Transfer the cake to a rack to cool 15 minutes. Run a knife around the inside edge of the pan to loosen the cake.  Using a dry dishtowel to protect your hands, place a wire cooling rack on top of the cake pan and, holding onto both rack and plate, and invert the cake. Lift the pan up from the cake. Peel away the parchment. Place another wire rack or 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.
Storage: Cover the baked and cooled cake in plastic wrap and stow at room temperature for up to 5 days.

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