Summer Fruit French Cake Recipe
This simple French cake with summer fruit is a bit like a cross between a sponge cake and a pound cake – soft, moist and full of chunks of fruit. In France, similar cakes are often baked at the weekend when you’ve bought too many apricots, peaches or berries at the market. It’s perfect with afternoon coffee or as a dessert after a light lunch.
The batter is quick to make and flexible, allowing you to use whatever summer fruit you have on hand, while the yogurt keeps the crumb tender and moist.
Chef's tips
Don’t overload the batter with too much fruit, or the cake may become dense in the center. If your fruit is very juicy, lightly pat it dry with paper towels before adding.
How to serve
Serve in generous wedges with fresh fruit on the side. It’s lovely as part of a weekend brunch spread with coffee, tea and yogurt.
Ingredients
- wheat flour type 450–550 - 200 g
- sugar - 120 g
- baking powder - 2 teaspoons
- egg at room temperature - 3 pieces
- plain yogurt small package - 125 g
- vegetable oil e.g. rapeseed - 80 ml
- vanilla extract or vanilla sugar - 1 teaspoon
- peach ripe but firm - 2 pieces
- apricot or other soft fruit - 4 pieces
- blueberries or bilberries fresh or frozen - 80 g
- icing sugar for dusting after baking - 1 tablespoon
- pinch of salt - 1 pinch
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (top and bottom heat). Line a round tin about 22 cm in diameter with baking paper or grease it and dust with flour.
- In a bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, pinch of salt and vanilla sugar if using it instead of extract.
- In a second bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar using a mixer for 3–4 minutes, until the mixture becomes paler and slightly fluffy.
- Add the yogurt, oil and vanilla extract, and briefly mix until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and gently fold with a spatula or mix on the lowest mixer speed just until combined – do not overmix.
- Wash the peaches and apricots, remove the stones and cut into medium-sized pieces. If using frozen berries, do not thaw them beforehand.
- Add half of the fruit to the batter and gently fold in. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and level the top.
- Arrange the remaining peach and apricot pieces on top and scatter the blueberries or bilberries over, pressing them lightly into the batter.
- Place the tin in the preheated oven and bake for 30–35 minutes, until the top is golden and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs (but no raw batter).
- After baking, remove the cake from the oven and leave it in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar before serving.
Storage
Store leftover cake covered at room temperature for up to 1 day, then in the fridge for another 1–2 days. For the best texture, bring slices to room temperature before serving.
This is my favorite way to use up a mix of leftover fruit from the market – every time the cake tastes a little different, but it’s always comforting.
