FRUIT & CREAM CAKES

One of the best parts of summertime is the wonderfully sweet fruit. You can add sliced summer fruits to vegetable salads or dishes made with legumes. Or you can add them to fish and beef dishes for something a little out of the ordinary. But my favorite way to enjoy apricots, plums and nectarines is to making delicious fruit and cream cakes with them.

This week, I am bringing you three fruit cake recipes, all of which form a bond between the fruit and the crust. This is done in three different ways.

• The first type is for cakes that are made from baked crusts, where the fruit is added during or after the crust has finished baking. The fruit can be fresh, canned or cooked ahead of time. If the type of fruit you are using is soft enough to be baked at the same time as the crust, this is another option.

• The second type uses fruits that need to be softened before adding them to cakes that have a thin, crumbly type of dough that oftentimes includes oats, nuts, coconut flakes and sesame seeds. In this case, the fruit and crumble layer are baked together.

• A third type has a fruit base and is split into two subcategories. The first one is cakes made with a flaky crust upon which you add a layer of cream or jam, and then fresh fruits on top of that.

Below, you will find three recipes that call for sliced summer fruits. Nobody wants to be stuck for hours in the kitchen on a hot summer day, and so all three of these recipes are easy and uncomplicated, and you can rest assured they will get eaten up very quickly.

The first recipe is for plum and almond crumble cake, with a crust below, luscious fruit in the middle and streusel crumble on top. The second is an apple cream cake for which the crust is first baked on its own before adding the sweet apple filling, sweet whipped cream and almonds slivers. The third is apricot cheesecake, which calls for canned fruit and flavored gelatin desert, like Jello-O. The combination of the cheese with the sweet fruits and syrup is wonderful.

PLUM AND ALMOND CRUMBLE CAKE

Use a round 26-cm. diameter spring-form pan or 2 loaf pans.

Fruit layer:

1-2 cups plum slices ½ cup brown sugar 1 Tbsp. honey or silan

Dough:

200 g. butter or margarine 1 cup sugar 2 large eggs

3 Tbsp. yogurt

2 tsp. baking powder 1 cup flour, sifted

½ cup ground almonds ½ tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. lemon zest

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Crumble:

50 g. butter or margarine

50 g. brown sugar

½ cup flour, mixed with 1 Tbsp. cornflour, sifted (you

can add 2 Tbsp. ground almonds)

Greasing pan: Butter or margarine 2 Tbsp. brown sugar

Mix the fruit slices with the sugar and honey. Let them sit.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, cream the butter and gradually add the sugar until very creamy.

Lower the speed and gradually add the eggs, yogurt, baking powder, flour, almonds, cinnamon, lemon zest and vanilla. Mix well.

In a separate bowl, use your hands to combine the crumble ingredients.

Grease the pan and sprinkle with brown sugar. Press the dough down into the pan.

Stir the fruit slices and arrange them on the dough. Then sprinkle crumble on top.

Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 180°C for 50-60 minutes, or until the cake has turned golden brown and when you stick a toothpick in the center, it comes out moist with a few crumbs.

Level of difficulty: Medium. Time: 90 minutes.

Status: Pareve/Dairy.

APPLE CREAM CAKE

Use a 26-cm. diameter pan.

1½ cups self-rising flour, sifted 100 g. butter or margarine 4 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 egg

1 Tbsp. milk

1 packet vanilla sugar

Filling:

5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and quartered 4 Tbsp. demerara sugar

½ cup water

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

3 Tbsp. instant vanilla pudding powder

Whipped cream:

1½ containers (375 ml.) dairy or pareve sweet whipping cream

3 Tbsp. sugar

Topping:

¾ cup almond slivers

To prepare the dough, mix the all the ingredients with an electric mixer. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for an hour.

Take out the dough and line the bottom of a baking pan. Poke a few holes in the dough with a fork. Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 180°C for 20 minutes or until it turns out golden brown. Take out of oven and let cool.

Put the apple pieces in a pot with the sugar and lemon juice and cook until they’ve softened. Mash the apples with the liquid and then add the instant pudding. Mix well. Pour the filling on top of the crust and place in the fridge.

Using an electric mixer, whip the cream. Slowly add the sugar and keep mixing. Transfer to an icing bag with a piping tip. Squeeze out mounds of cream onto cake. Sprinkle almonds slivers on top of cake and then place in the fridge for 3-4 hours before serving.

Level of difficulty: Medium.

Time: 90 minutes, plus time in fridge. Status: Pareve/Dairy.

APRICOT CHEESECAKE

Use a 24-cm. or 26-cm. diameter pan, greased and floured.

3 containers (750g.) 1/2% white spread cheese 1 container sour cream

5 eggs, separated 3 packets vanilla sugar

1 Tbsp. lemon zest

3 Tbsp. flour, sifted

1 cup sugar

10-12 canned apricot or peach halves, drained 1 box of apricot flavored gelatin desert

Topping:

1½ cups whipped cream

Add the cheese, sour cream, egg yolks, vanilla sugar, lemon zest, flour and half of the sugar. Mix well.

Whip the egg whites with an electric mixer on high speed. Once stiff peaks have formed, lower the speed and slowly add the rest of the sugar. Mix well. Gradually fold in the egg whites to the mixture. Pour mixture into the pan and bake in an oven that has been preheated to 200°C for 10 minutes. Lower the temperature to 170°C and bake for another 40 minutes until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out dry and clean. Let cool.

Arrange the fruit slices on top of the cake. Prepare the gelatin according to directions. When it starts to congeal, pour over the fruit slices. Store in the fridge. Before serving, use a knife to release the side of the cake from the pan. Transfer the cream to a pastry bag and pipe out little mounds all around the edge of the cake.

Level of difficulty: Medium. Time: 90 minutes.

Status: Dairy.