Summer Stone Fruit cake 

Serves 8-10

I love this cake so much and make it very often in the summer. It is the perfect cake to have in your repertoire and you can switch up the fruit according to what is in season. It is quite easy to make and can be made a day in advance for a party. Just pop it back in a preheated oven for 5-10 minutes then serve with some ice cream or whipped cream then be prepared to be asked for more! One tip: do not try to load the cake with too much fruit as it will sink to the bottom and let it cool completely before covering or wrapping so it will not get soggy. This recipe is lightly adapted from Food52.

INGREDIENTS

1.5	cups/ 180g all purpose flour plus more for the pan
1	teaspoon /5g baking powder
1/2	teaspoon/2g kosher salt
1/4	teaspoon /1g baking soda
1/2	teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2	cup/112g (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan
2/3	cup /150g granulated sugar
2	large eggs, at room temperature
3/4	cup/172g sour cream, at room temperature
1/2	teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2	tablespoons sugar
8	medium, firm-ripe apricots, halved lengthwise and pitted
	Lightly sweetened, softly whipped cream or crème fraîche, for serving (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1.	Preheat the oven to 350 F/180C, with a rack in the lower third. Butter a 9 inch/23cm round cake pan or springform pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper and butter the parchment. Dust the pan with flour, tapping out the excess.
2.	Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl. Set aside.
3.	In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a handheld mixer), beat together the butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until light, about 5 minutes. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl after each addition. Mix in the sour cream, vanilla, lemon zest until well combined. On low speed, add the flour mixture just until combined. (The batter will be thick.)
4.	Spread half of the batter evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar and top with 8 of the apricot halves, cut side down. Dollop and spread the remaining batter over the fruit. Arrange the remaining  halves, cut side up, over the top. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar over the apricots.
5.	Bake until the cake is golden and pulling away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted near the center tests clean (assuming you haven’t hit an apricot), 40-45 minutes, rotating the pan front to back a little past halfway through baking. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes.
6.	Run a thin knife around the inside edge of the pan to loosen the cake sides. Invert a flat plate over the pan. Using oven mitts if needed, grasp the plate and pan tightly together on both sides and invert the plate and pan to release the cake onto the plate. Lift off the pan and peel off the parchment. Invert the cake again onto a serving plate.
7.	Serve warm or at room temperature, with whipped cream, if desired.