Both apricots and cherries arrive at our markets in the early part of summer, and I appreciate the tart, velvety apricot and the sweet, juicy cherries just as they are. Eating them in their natural states is always one of the treasured culinary moments of summer.
With so much time on my hands during the pandemic, I wanted to experiment cooking with these fruits for a change. So, I decided on a simple vanilla cake studded with golden apricot halves and red pitted cherries. What a stroke of deliciousness!
I have made so many cobblers and crisps that I decided to do something different and settled on developing this cake. Baking it in a square pan gives it a different look. My husband even asked me if it was a dessert pizza! I love the look of this summer cake and once we tasted it, we knew it was a keeper.
Normal-sized portions will feed 12 people, but in these times of hungering for comfort this cake made it into eight large portions. You will have some cake left, so cover it well and leave in the fridge. Bring to room temp and give it 30 seconds in the microwave or warm it in a 350 F oven for a few minutes. A big dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream on the side completes this dessert.
Fresh Apricot and Cherry Cake
Serves 8 to 12, depending upon portion size
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
Zest from 1 medium lemon
1/4 cup buttermilk
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6 to 8 fresh apricots, depending upon their size, halved
1/2 cup fresh stemmed and pitted red cherries
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, for sprinkling (Turbinado or sanding sugar will create a crust)
1/4 cup apricot jam
2 tablespoons water
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour with the baking powder and salt. Reserve.
3. Flour and butter a 9-by-9-inch cake pan. Line with baking parchment (about 2 inches longer than the pan), making sure it is long enough to pick the cake up after it is baked. I like to use two pieces going different directions to ease out the finished cake.
4. Combine the butter, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. With an electric mixer, beat the mixture until nicely blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the lemon zest. Slowly add the reserved flour mixture into the wet mixture, beating on low until well blended. Add the buttermilk, and mix to combine.
5. Spread the batter evenly into the pan using a rubber spatula. Place the halved apricots, cut side down, in rows or in circles on top of the batter. Push them down slightly. Place the cherries beside the apricot halves, pushing them halfway down into the batter, in a decorative pattern. Sprinkle the sugar evenly over the apricots and cherries. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool for 20 minutes.
6. Meanwhile in a small pan melt the jam and water over low heat until it is thinned out. Use a pastry brush to spread it evenly over the warm cake to give it a shiny finish.
7. Lift the cake out of the pan with parchment paper and transfer to a cake plate. Pull the parchment paper out from under the cake.
8. Cut into serving pieces; serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Recipe notes: Select slightly firm medium-sized apricots and bright smooth skinned cherries.
(Diane Rossen Worthington is an authority on new American cooking. She is the author of 18 cookbooks, including “Seriously Simple Parties,” and a James Beard Award-winning radio show host. You can contact her at www.seriouslysimple.com.)
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(c) 2020, DIANE ROSSEN WORTHINGTON. DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC