Sometimes a treasured recipe can take on an entirely new dimension by changing one ingredient. I’ve been making Marcella Hazan’s Farm Wive’s Fresh Pear Tart for about 30 years now. I’ve already written about it here, and admitted that I rarely make it with the pears it calls for. I usually stick to apples, but have even substituted bananas when that was all I had around.
The thing is, with this cake, I almost never plan on making it. It’s not like I head out to the store to buy the ingredients. This is the dessert I make when I am desperate, and need a last minute something. The ingredients are almost always in my pantry: flour, eggs, sugar and a little bit of milk. Fruit? I can always manage something. I’ve even made it with quinces I’ve canned myself.
Last week though, I made this recipe from a different starting point. In other words, I had a lot of fruit and didn’t quite know what to do with it.
I mean, really, what would you do with a half kilo of red currants?
I ended up the proud (but slightly confused) owner of this huge amount of red currants when I met Salvatore at an organic berry farm last week. Located between Todi and Foligno, this amazing place is run by two women and has acres and acres of plump, ripe berries. After driving around confusedly for about 30 minutes (Salvatore is great at many things, but giving directions is not one of them) I came away with a half kilo of blackberries (which barely made it home, since we were munching on them in the car) and the biggest amount of jewel like, perfect currants I had ever owned.
They sat in the refrigerator for a full day before I had the bright idea of putting them in Marcella’s cake. Mostly I had the idea because a) I had all the other ingredients in the house and b) I had no other ideas.
I decided to throw in some plums from our own tree as well, just because.
The cake was a huge success. Completely different than the usual apple filled cake I’d made in the past. I loved the astringent tartness of the currants, and isn’t the color fabulous? I’m thinking raspberries would be beyond delicious. Good thing I now know my way to the berry farm.
red currant and plum cake
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 8
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 cup sugar
- pinch salt
- 1.5 cups flour
- 1/2 kilo / 1 pound red currants, picked from their stems
- 1/2 kilo / 1 pound purple plums, cut into slices
- a 9 inch round cake pan
- Butter for greasing the pan and dotting the cake
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F/180C
- Beat the eggs and milk together in a bowl. Add sugar, pinch of salt and beat. Add flour, mixing it well.
- Peel, pit and thinly slice the plums. Take the currants off the stems.
- Add the fruit to batter, mixing gently but well.
- Smear a pan with butter then sprinkle lightly with bread crumbs, shaking and them pouring out excess.
- Put batter into pan, leveling it off with the back of a spoon. Dot with bits of butter, pushing them into the batter with your finger. About 3 Tablespoons total.
- Bake for about 45 minutes, or until top is lightly browned.
Notes
Feel free to play around with the type of fruit you use. I often use apples, and Marcella calls for pears. Berries have been an eye opener.
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If you happen to be in the area, here is the information for the berry farm:
La Collina
Localita Colato, 119 – Fraz. Viepri (Massa Martana – PG)
Romina: 331.653.5071
Mara: 340.293.9268
Too beautiful. Jewels worthy of the ranis of India. Can’t wait to try this. We have raspberries here right now so they’ll go in. Maybe alone. I think the plums are getting ready. Love plum cake too. Currants are a rarity here but so welcome when they do show up.
Thanks always for photographs as delicious as your recipes.
Vancouver Barbara
Irresistible. It’s raspberries for me. I’m making it today. Can’t wait to bit in.
Heidi, Victoria BC
A Kent farmer I buy eggs, fruit and vegetables from sometimes has redcurrants. Have you ever made redcurrant jelly?
No, since before now I’ve never had enough affordable currants!
Made this with Raspberries yesterday.
I was dubious as it so simple and the gloppy batter was not promising.
In turned out great.
Its gone and now we’ll make another.
I know how to make two cakes now….the boiled tangerine and almond meal one and this.
Thank you and eternal thanks to La Maestra Marcella.
I know, the batter looks completely like it won’t work. And then it does. A happy miracle!
Looks delish Elizabeth…I love to throw together cakes, pies, galettes, crisps, crumbles and all sorts of things with the fruit I have on hand, simply combining what I think will work together…raspberries & currants would be great in this cake too! Don’t you just love this time of the year?
No time to drive to the nearby farm stand and not at home for the farmer’s market, I ran to Whole Foods where I found pomegranate seeds. They were good with the plums. Everyone seemed to enjoy the tart so I guess I shouldn’t ask whether pomegranate seeds were a weird choice? I used a variety of plums also.
Wow, nice idea! I’ll have to try that.