nectarine, peach, and blackberry cake

It doesn’t seem that long ago that I was waxing poetic about the many things I loved about the summer. Yet, it feels like summer is quickly slipping away. June is a distant blur; July came and went in a blink of an eye. Now, the days are getting shorter and there’s a hint of autumn in the night air. August is almost halfway over. Where did the time go?

To try to hold on to the waning days of summer, I thought it perfect to make this cake filled with the season’s best – ripe nectarines, peaches, and blackberries. The cake is moist and has a light, buttery flavor. I love the nutty, almond flavor from the almond meal and almond extract. It makes a great base to absorb all the juices from the sugary white nectarines and slightly tangy yellow peaches and tart blackberries.

I had a couple of white nectarines and one yellow peach so I used them, but any stone fruit would work. The same goes for the berries. I wanted to use blackberries, but blueberries or raspberries would work as well. For a “sauce,” I spooned some wildberry-flavored yogurt, which seemed more fitting for a brunch, but I would definitely top a slice of this cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to serve for dessert.

Nectarine, Peach, and Blackberry Cake
Yields 1 13″ x 9″ pan, 12 slices

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup almond meal
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 nectarines, pitted and thinly sliced
1 peach, pitted and thinly sliced
1 cup blackberries
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
plain or your favorite flavor yogurt, for topping (I used Traders Point wildberry flavor)
sliced almonds, for garnish

Method:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13″x9″ baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside.

Whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) in a medium bowl.

Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium-low and add egg and almond extract. Mix well. Reduce speed to low and slowly add half of dry ingredients, then the buttermilk, and the rest of the dry ingredients, beating just to combine after each addition.

Transfer cake batter into prepared baking dish, spreading evenly with an offset spatula. Arrange nectarine and peach slices and blackberries on top of cake batter in a single layer and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F and bake an additional 20 to 23 minutes, until cake is golden and a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack before cutting into squares.

Top with yogurt and garnish with sliced almonds.

Adapted from Tutti Dolci.

© Daisy’s World. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Daisy’s World with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.