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Top view of a spice cake decorated with powdered sugar and seasonal stone fruit.

Summer Stone Fruit Spice Cake

Meg van der Kruik
This recipe for spice cake is sure to impress – golden brown and studded with juicy bits of fresh California cherries and apricots.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Calories 3846 kcal

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 round 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

Storage:
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.

Nutrition

Calories: 3846kcalCarbohydrates: 640gProtein: 56gFat: 131gSaturated Fat: 30gPolyunsaturated Fat: 36gMonounsaturated Fat: 55gTrans Fat: 14gCholesterol: 327mgSodium: 1670mgPotassium: 2933mgFiber: 33gSugar: 412gVitamin A: 11314IUVitamin C: 83mgCalcium: 597mgIron: 21mg
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