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An Easy Recipe For Spice Cake With Stone Fruit
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This spice cake is a sight to behold – golden brown and studded with juicy bits of fresh California cherries and apricots. The batter, enriched with a luscious fresh apricot puree, gives each bite a moist, tender crumb that’s bursting with flavor. At first bite, it’s the aromatic spices that hit your senses first, followed by the sweet-tart explosion of the stone fruits. It’s the kind of cake that screams SUMMER!
What’s So Special About California Stone Fruit?
Ah, California – the land of sunshine, surf, and some of the juiciest, most delectable stone fruits you’ll ever sink your teeth into. What makes these fruits so special? It’s the magic combination of California’s rich soil, perfect climate, and farmers who know their stuff. Whether it’s peaches, plums, apricots, or cherries, California-grown stone fruits are the cream of the crop, literally!
Stone fruits from California aren’t just tasty; they’re also packed with nutrients. They’re a great source of vitamins A and C, dietary fiber, and antioxidants. So, while you’re indulging in this spice cake, you can also feel a little better knowing you’re getting some wholesome goodness from the Golden State.
The First Stone Fruits of Late Spring: Apricots and Cherries
When spring is in full swing, the farmers’ markets start to overflow with vibrant colors and fragrant aromas. The first stone fruits to make an appearance are apricots and cherries. Rows of stalls overflow with golden apricots and ruby-red cherries, just waiting to be taken home and turned into something delicious. It’s like nature’s way of saying, “Welcome to the season of freshness and flavor!”
The Most Amazing Stone Fruit Recipes
Stone fruits are some of summer’s most sought-after fruits. From peach pie to cherry cheesecake and plum jam to nectarine melbas, we’ve rounded up some of the most delicious stone fruit recipes on the internet!
Let’s Put the Spice in Summer Spice Cake
What Is a Spice Cake?
Now, let’s talk cake – specifically, spice cake. If you’ve never had the pleasure, a spice cake is a moist, flavorful cake that’s typically spiced with a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and sometimes even a hint of ginger or cardamom. It’s like a warm hug for your taste buds. The spices give the cake a rich depth of flavor that pairs beautifully with the natural sweetness of stone fruits.
What Does Cardamom Taste Like?
Speaking of cardamom, if you’re not familiar with this spice, you’re in for a treat. Cardamom has a unique flavor that’s a bit difficult to describe. Imagine a mix of citrusy, minty, and herbal notes all wrapped up in one little pod. It adds a delightful, slightly exotic twist to baked goods, making it a perfect match for our spice cake.
How to Make Fresh Apricot Puree for Spice Cake
Fresh apricot puree is a fantastic way to incorporate the vibrant flavor of apricots into your spice cake. It’s incredibly easy to make. Simply take your fresh apricots, remove the pits, and blend the fruit in a food processor or blender until completely smooth. This puree can be mixed into your cake batter to add moisture and a burst of apricot flavor. Trust me, it’s worth the extra step.
The Perfect Wine Pairing for Spice Cake
No dessert experience is complete without the perfect drink to accompany it, and in the case of this summer spice cake, we think a glass of decadent dessert wine from California is the way to go.
Dessert wine is the sweet, indulgent cousin in the wine family. It’s crafted specifically to be enjoyed with desserts or even as a dessert on its own. Unlike your typical table wines, dessert wines are often sweeter and richer, with flavors that can range from honeyed and fruity to nutty and caramelized. This sweetness is achieved through various methods, such as late harvesting, where grapes are left on the vine longer to develop more sugar, or by adding grape spirits to stop fermentation early, preserving natural sugars. The result is a luscious, velvety wine that pairs beautifully with everything from rich chocolate cakes to tangy fruit tarts.
For our spice cake, Quady’s Essensia, with its luscious orange muscat flavor, is a superb choice. Its rich, sweet profile pairs wonderfully with the cake’s spicy, fruity notes. Alternatively, a crisp sparkling wine from California can add a refreshing contrast to the cake’s jammy roasted fruit and spice flavor profile.
Quady Wines; Creating Exceptional Wines in Madera
Our team of California Grown Creators recently visited Quady Winery located in Madera, California where the wines are delicious expressions of the fruit-filled San Joaquin Valley. Quady Winery offers a unique winemaking style that is rich, full-bodied, and perfectly balanced. You won’t find another winery quite like this one!
Click here to learn more about Quady Winery.
Celebrating Stone Fruit in the Golen State
At CA GROWN, we’re all about celebrating the incredible produce that comes from the Golden State. From the first apricots and cherries of spring to the last plums and pluots of summer, California’s stone fruits are a delicious example of the state’s rich agricultural heritage and the dedication of our farmers and farmworkers to bring the freshest, most flavorful produce to your table.
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Summer Stone Fruit Spice Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp cardamom
- ½ cup shortening
- 2 eggs
- 3 TBSPS water
- 1 cup apricots, pureed, about 4
- 1 cup apricots, diced, about 2
- 1 cup cherries, pitted, halved
To Decorate the Cake:
- 1 1/2 cups cherries
- 6 apricots
- 1/8 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
- .5 ounces fresh mint leaves
- 1/2 TBSP pearl sugar, optional
- 1 1/.2 tsp green cardamom pods
Instructions
To Make the Cake:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9-inch springform pan and set aside.
Prepare the Apricot Puree:
- Halve and pit about 4 apricots. Blend the apricot halves in a food processor or blender until smooth to make 1 cup (255g) of apricot puree, set aside.
Prepare the Batter:
- In a large bowl, combine all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and cardamom. Mix well. Set aside 4 tablespoons (15g) of the dry mixture in a small bowl for later use.
- Toss the diced apricots (1 cup or 155g) and halved cherries (1 cup or 140g) with the reserved 4 tablespoons (15g) of the dry mixture. This helps prevent the fruit from sinking to the bottom of the cake. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat shortening until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually mix in the prepared apricot puree. Add 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of water and continue to mix until well combined.
- Gradually add the remaining dry mixture to the wet mixture, mixing until just combined.
- Gently fold the diced apricots and halved cherries into the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared 9-inch springform pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before removing the sides of the springform pan.
- Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
To Decorate:
- Pit and halve half of the fresh cherries. Leave one apricot whole, cut two more in half, and pit and quarter the rest. Set aside.
- Sprinkle powdered sugar over the top of the cake. Then sprinkle on the toasted almonds and pearl sugar, if using.
- Starting with the larger pieces of fruit and mint, decorate around the outside edges of the cake.
- Use the apricot slices and halved cherries to decorate the top of the cake.
Video
Notes
This cake is best the day it is made. If storing, do not add fresh fruit toppings until ready to serve. This cake can be stored refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days. The fresh fruit makes it incredibly moist and decadent, but the fruit juices will eventually soak into the cake, shortening the storage time.