This cake was quite a surprise for me. I read the recipe and thought it would be denser like a pie – when the dough was ready to be wrapped in plastic, I thought I had made a terrible mistake – it had the consistency of cake batter! I couldn’t believe I was putting this in the freezer. At this point I was just going to finish the recipe just so I didn’t waste the ingredients. What came out of the oven was a wonderful, light, fluffy cake filled with delicious fresh fruit.  

This recipe comes from Rustic Fruit Desserts by Cory Schreiber and Julie Richardson.

Baking Time: 30 to 40 Minutes Serves 10 to 12

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature, for pan
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups coarsely chopped mixed stone fruit, fresh or frozen
• 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

    
Preparation

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. Using a handheld mixer with beaters or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the sugar and butter together on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition, then stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture and stir just until a smooth dough forms. It is going to look just like cake batter, don’t worry. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, flatten into a 1-inch-thick disk, and freeze for 30 minutes.

  
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Butter a shallow 10-inch round baking pan or tart pan. Divide the dough into two equal portions and pat one portion evenly using plastic wrap into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the fruit over the dough. Break the remainder of the dough into tablespoon-size pieces and distribute atop the fruit, then sprinkle the sugar over the dessert. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until lightly golden and firm. Cool for 30 minutes before serving.

For a printer friendly version of this recipe, click here:  Stone Fruit Tea Cake