Easy and delicious Summer Fruit Cake

It's the height of the Summer Season and the trees are beginning to bear perfectly ripened fruit. I have been watching the Victoria plums in my Boyfriend's Mum's garden for a while and now they are finally ready! Sweet and juicy on the inside and just the right tartness on the outside

I have a wonderfully easy, yet very delicious cake recipe from Germany, that is perfect for them. It's also great with Apples, Pears, Gooseberries, Blackberries or Cherries.

This is one I made last year with the Apples my neighbour gave us. It didn't last long...

So here is the Recipe. Get a neighbour, collegue, family member or friend's friend's mother's dentist's son to give you some freshly picked fruit. Wash and stone or core or deseed fruit and cut into largish Chunks.

Ingredients:
4 Eggs
9 tbs plain Flour
9 tbs Caster Sugar
9 tbs Sunflower Oil
1 heaped tsp Baking powder
a few drops Vanilla Extract
Fruit of your Choice
1 handful of flaked Almonds (optional, depending on fruit)

With an electric Mixer beat the Eggs and Sugar until the Sugar has dissolved.
Sieve the Flour and Baking powder into the Egg Mixture and mix again on a slower speed.
Mix in the Oil and Vanilla Extract until all is smooth and creamy.

 

Arrange the fruit in a shallow baking dish, lined with baking parchment, either randomly or in a pattern depending on type of fruit :-)

As I am using these marvellous Victoria Plums today, I have halved them taken out the stone and layed them cut side down.

Nest pour over the cake mixture.

Now bake the cake in a 150C oven for about 50 minutes. Testing with a wooden skewer. Prik the cake in the middle and see if the skewer comes out dry and clean. It's ready! If it's still wet or has cake mixture sticking to it, return to the oven for 5- 10 more minutes. 

TOP TIP: Always close the oven door, while doing food testing ect., otherwise you will loose essential heat from the oven and the cooking process will change completely.

I wish you could smell the aroma wafting from my kitchen right now. Oh it makes me so proud and happy! I want to open all the windows so that everyone can smell it :-)

 

Leave the cake to cool before cutting. Then let you imagination guide you. Dust with Icing sugar maybe, add cream, custard, creme anglaise, creme fraiche or eat it just as it is.

Looking at my picture now, I think maybe to make it a little more sophisticated it could have a base. I will think about how to incorporate one. Meanwhile please feel free to give me some ideas.

Mecklenburger Stuffed Pork

Now here is something you don't see very often. A German Recipe...

Yes, we know French, Italian, Mexican and Chinese Cuisine and probably can all name a few of our favourite dishes from each. But what do we know about German cuisine?
I knew it. Bratwurst and Sauerkraut.

Here is a bonus picture of the Castle from my Hometown Schwerin :-)

I am on a mission to educate the world (well mainly the British actually) about some interesting dishes from my heritage. This one you can probably only find in Auntie Helga's Backyard Restaurant in Northern Germany. It is a very regional dish from the area I was born in, Mecklenburg. Once Helga is no more I fear this dish will also disappear. Maybe you would like to try it before and discover it is really very yummly.

Ingredients for the Pork and Stuffing:

3 thick sliced Pork Loin (another cut can be used and stuffed whole or as individual Portions as I am doing today)

1 Apple (from Neighbour's Garden)

Zest of 1 Lemon

1 small tsp Natural Sugar

a pinch of Cinnamon

5 Pitted Prunes

30g Breadcrumbs

Salt and Pepper

To make the stufing, cut the prunes and apple into small dice and mix with the breadcrumbs, Sugar, Cinnamon and Lemon Zest.

How are your butchering skills? No good? Get the Butcher to do it!

Make an incision on one side of the Pork and cut a cavity like that of a Pita bread into each Chop.

Try to leave a small incision but make a good cavity, without cutting through any other sides.

Fill the stuffing mix into the Pork Chops and secure the opening with a wooden toothpick.

My Grandma, would have used needle and thread and sown the whole thing up. Especially if it was a bigger Joint!

Season the Chops now with Salt and Pepper ready to roast.

Ingredients for the Sauce:

1/2 Onion, chopped

1/2 Carrot finely diced

1/2 Leek (the white part) chopped

a small piece of Celeriac Root, finely diced

500ml Beef Stock

1tsp Tomato Puree

a sprig of Thyme

1tbs Plain Flour to thicken

Fry the Pork Loins on both sides until nicely browned, then remove from the pan and rest on a plate.

Add the chopped vegetables to the pan and sautee, scraping all the bits from the pan that have stuck to the bottom. Use a little stock to deglace and keep sauteeing until everything is getting a nice colour. Take your time to do this as it will enhance the depth of flavour of the Sauce.

Pour in the Stock and bring back to a simmer, before returning the Pork.

Place this into a 200 degree Oven and roast without a lid for 45 minutes. Turn the meat over half way. If it was a bigger Joint, keep turning and basting a few times and increase the cooking time.

Take the Chops out and leave them to rest on a plate. Cover them with tin foil to keep warm.

Sprinkle a tablespoon of Flour into the sauce and mix it in with a whisk.

Once thickened, taste and see if it needs any more seasoning.

I have to say the sauce is so rich and full of flavour, absolutely divine!

Push the Sauce through a sieve (is what my Grandma would have done) or like me, use a blender to puree the vegetables and make it smooth.

Serve this dish with Braised Red Cabbage and boiled Parsley Potatoes.

This is what it looks like once cut into it... I think this might be my new favourite way to eat Pork Chops! Long live Helga the patron of all proper German Food.