Fresh Apricot and Nectarine Slab Cake
Photography Aaron McLean.
This ever-so-versatile cake is one of my favorite go-to recipes year round. I make it with nearly any fruit I have available (such as plums, peaches, pears… even tinned fruit will work in a pinch). The cake will keep well for 3-4 days in the fridge if you need to make it in advance.
Serves: 10
INGREDIENTS
125 grams butter, soft but not melted
¾ cup caster sugar
1 tablespoon brandy or liqueur such as Cointreau
finely grated zest 1 orange
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1¼ cups plain flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup milk
6-8 pieces stone fruit, I used 4 each apricots and nectarines
1 tablespoon coarse sugar, such as muscovado or raw sugar
To serve
icing sugar
mascarpone or crème fraîche
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180˚C.
Grease a 23 cm x 35 cm cake tin and fully line with baking paper.
Beat the butter, sugar, brandy, orange zest and vanilla extract until very light and pale. Beat in the egg.
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt and fold into the butter mixture alternatively with the milk, ensuring there are no pockets of flour in the batter.
Spread the batter evenly into the tin. Halve the fruit and remove the stones. Cut into thick wedges and place over the batter. Don’t push the fruit into the batter.
Sprinkle with the sugar and bake for 25 minutes until the cake is firm and golden brown. Cool.
To serve: Dust the cake with icing sugar and serve with a bowl of cream.
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126
We start by sharing what’s on the dish team’s radar, what we’re watching, listening to and reading. Harry Butterfield puts a twist on his Nonna’s agnolotti, Malissa Fedele reminds us of the importance of fibre, and Phoebe Holden fulfils a long-held dream, sitting down with Yotam Ottolenghi. Autumn is an abundant time, we make the most with pumpkin, kūmara, cabbage, cauliflower, feijoas, apples and pears. We’re dishing up dinners for two, including a Chicken Dumpling Lasagne, alongside easy weeknight meals. We honour our mums, revisit timeless classics, and add a little baking challenge. This issue, we encourage you to slow down, to enjoy writing your shopping list, and spending time in the kitchen. Because even when life feels relentless, there’s always space to share something delicious.