Can I tell you how much I love this cake?
found a version of this cake in Bon Appetit a few years ago. Seemed really simple, just a vanilla cake with fruit. The thing is, it's so ridiculously easy that I found myself making it all the time. Also, it's an all meal kind of cake. Breakfast, snack, tea, dessert. It's universal. If you are a baker, you will always have the ingredients. And if you are picky about stuff, the substitutions are endless. I'm gonna give you the recipe below. You're welcome.
The Whatever Fruit Cake
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 cup sugar ( I like to reduce it to 3/4 cup sometimes depending on my mood)
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 cup ricotta cheese ( you can also use plain yogurt or sour cream)
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp. lemon curd (you can also use other types of curd, marmalade or jam. Any kind really. It gives it another little layer of flavor)
- 1/2 cup (one stick) butter, melted
- 2 cups fruit (I use blueberries a lot but it works with pretty much any berry. Frozen, not frozen...makes little difference. If you like some other kind of fruit, try it. I mean, it won't be terrible even if it comes out weird.)
Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9" x 13" cake pan with coat of vegetable oil spray. Then line the bottom with parchment paper. Spray again with veg oil. whisk together all dry ingredients in a larger bowl. Whisk eggs, ricotta (or whatever one you chose), vanilla and curd in a medium bowl. Mix the dry ingredient into the wet until smooth. Fold in melted butter and then gently fold in 1 cup of the berries. Scrape batter into pan and sprinkle remaining cup of fruit on top. If you're feeling kookie and you like cinnamon, sprinkle a little on top. Or nutmeg, if that's what you're into. A little dusting of sugar on top can be fun too. Bake until golden , about 50-60 minutes. Let cool if you don't want to burn your hands getting it out of the pan. Or just cut a piece right from the pan. It's your cake. I keep it wrapped in plastic or a ziplock for a few days (if it lasts that long).