INTRODUCTION

This is not my creation and I think it was popular since early 2010s..It was blogged by most local English blogs’ bloggers and I should be one of the very last bloggers to blog this beautiful cake.. I first saw this cake about 2 years ago in Facebook and it seems that it is still very popular these few years.

I think the attractiveness of the cake is because the cake can be easily designed into an presentable cake based on one’s creativities on the selection of fresh fruits and the laying pattern. Variations are many and you can use most if not all seasonal fresh fruits of your choice. Canned fruits such as peaches can be used too.

Since in a sense, this is still a fruit cake, I thought it might not be a bad idea to use this cake for Christmas season be it as gifts or at home setting. While traditional alcohol fruit cakes are well liked by many, but there are some that prefer lighter and simple fruit cake that does not use dried fruits.. This cake will be perfect since it meets the criteria of presentable, fast, delicious and Christmassy feel..

I did not follow any recipe in the internet but I just follow their concept of lining some fresh fruits on top of the cake.. I have many butter cakes recipe and i knew which one will be perfect for this type of design. I especially love the classic madeira butter cake that uses less butter and have a firmer but moist texture. I have prepared many time and I knew this cake will be ideal.  The cake is buttery aromatic the texture looks like those in the original recipe. If you are interested in the original madeira cake recipe, you can refer to this post: A Healthier Traditional Butter Cake–Madeira Cake (马德拉牛油蛋糕）or clicking on the picture above. However, for this recipe, i did do some amendments to impoverish the texture.

You have your choice of fresh fruits.. Most fresh fruits that have a firm flesh will work well. You can also used canned fruits but not those that are overly heavy. I am sure from the above image, you can have a good idea of what type of fruits you can use, from peach to oranges to kiwi fruit to dates and many others. For this idea, because I intended to associate it with Christmas , I have used the imported red currants from Holland.. Not really a good choice as it tends to the break and dirty my cake..

I am happy with this cake, though the fruits are slightly sour, but it is strange that these tangy fruits complement well with the sweet cake.. Trust me, the cake is not overly sweet but eating a piece of cake with something tangy does provide some unique experiences. Personally l like this combo and therefore in my recipe, I will not ask you to soak the fruit in syrup or dusted with sugar powder before baking. To me, it is this slight tanginess that make the cake unique beside its appearance.

This recipe is very basic and in my mind, there are tons of variation that you can use this basic recipe and make it into a cake of your choice. You can add 1-2 tablespoons of brandy and orange zest  to make it even more Christmassy and fruity. You can even add dried fruits if you wish.. The creation of the whole cake is in your hands.

WHAT IS REQUIRED

Servings: Prepare an 8”-9” cake

• 185 grams of butter, softened at room temperature
• 185 grams of white castor sugar
• 125 grams of self raising flour **
• 155 grams of plain flour/cake flour/top flour
• 100 grams of natural yoghurt
• 3 eggs lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons of finely grated lemon or orange

** If there is no self raising flour, use 125 grams of cake flour and add 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder.

• Some fresh fruits of your choice

STEPS OF PREPARATION

• Preheat the oven to 160 degree Celsius

• Lightly grease an 8” or 9” round baking tin. Alternatively, line the baking tin with parchment paper.

• For bigger fruits like strawberries, you may want to slice one strawberry into 2 or 4 pieces.

• Cream the butter, yoghurt and sugar until light and fluffy, add in eggs, lemon/orange zest and use medium speed to “mix” until well combined. Eggs should be added one by one and scrap the bottom of the bowl to ensure no unmixed egg settled at the bottom of the mixing bowl.

• Sift in 1/3 of the flour and use the spatula to quickly fold in the flour.. Continue with the remaining 2/3 until all the flour are added and a thick batter is ready. Folding of flour need to be fast and swift to avoid formation of gluten in the cake.

• Transfer the batter to the baking tin, level it and start lining your preferred choice of fruits on top of the cake based on your designed pattern. Place the fruit lightly and do not press downwards as when the batter is hot, the fruits will sink slightly.

• Bake in the pre-heated oven of 160 degree Celsius for about 60 minutes. Start monitoring the cake after it is baked for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserts into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Timing will depend on individual oven and also the height of your cake. Cool completely before cutting the cake. If preferred, dust with icing sugar as decoration.

CONCLUSION

To summarize, this is a butter cake baked with fresh fruits. The tanginess of the fruits complement with the sweetness of the cake. You can easily design an unique cake based on your choice of fruits in terms of colour and texture, the pattern of the fruits placed and also additional flavour for the cake if you wish.. Lastly, you can always baked this cake for your normal enjoyment based on the excess fruits that you have in your house. Trust me, the basic madeira cake is a delicious and less sinful cake.

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