from The Davison Orchards Cookbook
Nana made this cake for years and years in the Davison Farmhouse Bakery. She was always very particular about how it was done. “The cake mustn’t be too thick. The fruit needs to be placed so that it touches together on top of the batter. Don’t be cheap with the crumble!” It is now a staple in my own home. Don’t be nervous when you see how thin the batter is when you pour it in the pan. Remember, this is exactly how Nana does it and it makes for an extremely moist cake. Let the fruit be the star! (Laura)
Ingredients
Topping:
½ cup brown sugar, tightly packed
¼ cup butter or margarine
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Cake:
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup butter or margarine
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup milk
5 cups halved and pitted Italian prune plums
Vanilla Drizzle:
1 cup icing sugar
1 Tbsp half-and-half cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350F. Thoroughly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
For the topping: In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, butter and cinnamon, using your fingers to make a crumble. Set aside.
For the cake: Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the sugar and butter together on medium speed. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt.
With the mixer running on low speed, add the dry ingredients and milk alternatively to the egg mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Do not overmix. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.
Arrange the plums on top of the cake batter so they are touching but not overlapping. The whole cake should be covered in fruit. Sprinkle the topping over the fruit.
Bake until the middle of the cake bounces back when pressed lightly, 30-40 minutes.
For the vanilla icing: Using a teaspoon, stir the icing sugar, cream and vanilla extract together in a small glass measuring cup. Add more cream if the icing is too thick or more icing sugar if it is too thin.
Let the cake cool completely before drizzling with the icing.
Tips: Leftover icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week in your refrigerator. You can warm up your icing for 10-20 seconds in the microwave to soften right before you’re ready to use.
Note: You can use apricots or peaches in place of the plums, and it works just as well with frozen fruit. If you decide to use frozen fruit, allow the fruit to partially thaw before using and increase the baking time by about 15 minutes.
Nada’s Tips & Tricks: This is a great recipe to have on hand when fresh fruit is hitting your farmer’s market and roadside stands. Works better for dense fruit that can hold their own like cherries and blueberries.
Contents and images used with permission by TouchWood Editions.