Versatile cake makes perfect pairing for morning coffee
(you pick the fruit)
This perfect pairing with your morning cup works with a host of flavor combinations
Every once in a while, a cake to go with a morning cup of coffee is the perfect choice. This version is sweet, but not overly sweet, and you can use almost any fruit that will soften up in the time the cake is in the oven. I recently made this cake because I noticed I had some blueberries in the fridge getting a little soft and didn’t want them to go to waste.
You can use berries, slices of peaches, apricots, plums, pitted cherries, nectarines, fresh figs, mango, bananas and more. Whatever fruit you choose can guide you to adjusting for flavoring. For instance, if I were making this cake with sliced peaches, I would probably give the top of the cake a few cracks of freshly ground black pepper before putting it in the oven. If I used banana, I would probably use pecans instead of almonds in the topping. If I used plums, I might add a bit of ground ginger to the topping. This is a recipe meant to work for whatever fruit you have, and whatever flavors you feel like incorporating at the time. As a bonus, in an airtight container, it holds beautifully for three to four days. Yay for coffee and cake!
ANY FRUIT COFFEECAKE
Makes 6-8 servings; total time: around 1 hour
For the topping:
½ cup all-purpose, oat, coconut or almond flour
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup sliced almonds (optional)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground culinary lavender (optional)
¼ cup salted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
For the cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ cup brown sugar, packed
Zest from 1 lemon
½ cup salted butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup plain Greek yogurt
½ cup milk
2 cups berries, peaches, plums, pitted cherries, apricots, mango or banana
Preparation: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a medium-sized baking dish with softened butter. Make the topping: In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients together, crumble with your fingers and set aside. Now it’s time to make the cake: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, brown sugar and lemon zest. Add the butter, eggs, vanilla, yogurt and milk and whisk until the thick batter is smooth. Gently fold in the fruit, and transfer cake batter to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the topping over the batter and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Let cool 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Marianne Sundquist is a chef, food business consultant and shares recipes for home cooks on Instagram @chefmariannesundquist. She owns the catering business Daya, which has shifted for the time being into an online general store, sourcing and delivering pantry staples to area residents. Visit dayasantafe.square.site and email her at marianne@dayasantafe.com.