Nectarine Cake

My dad always tells me how important it is to "eat to live, not live to eat."  Consequently, there are very few foods that I allow to fall into my "worth-living-for" foods category.  Stone fruits, for better or worse, comprise a goodly chunk of that list.  Peaches, plums, apricots: I love them all.  So when I went to the farmer's market last week and found myself surrounded by stacks and stacks of lovely fruit, I couldn't help myself.  I had enough self-control to buy the least expensive type of fruit, but I still wound up carting three pounds of nectarines back to the office and then home on the subway.  Now, I can eat a lot of nectarines, but three pounds of perfectly ripe, rapidly spoiling fruit is too much even for me.  So what to do?  Bake a delicate dessert highlighting the fruit, of course.

This recipe comes from the now sadly defunct Gourmet.  I changed very little, as baking tends to be much more unforgiving of improvisation than other types of cooking.

You'll need:

1 cup white all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder (This will make the cake rise over the fruit—Really cool!)

1/4 tsp. salt

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract (N.B.: There are some ingredients that you use so little of per recipe and make such a big difference in the taste, that's it's worth splurging for the real thing.  Vanilla is one of those things)

1/8 tsp. almond extract

3 nectarines, pitted and cut into wedges

1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg (Whole nutmegs are not very expensive if you buy them in ethnic groceries and have a much stronger scent than pre-packaged grated nutmeg.  Plus, whole nutmegs look really cool)

You'll also need a 9-inch springform pan, which is the sort of pan you would use to make a cheesecake.  If you don't have one, you can find one very cheaply at a discount store like T.J. Maxx or Filene's Basement.  I bought my fancy-schmancy German pan there for bupkis (that is to say, $4).

Heat oven to 350°F.  Lightly butter the pan, making sure to get into the grooves between the bottom and the sides.

Beat together butter and sugar until fluffy and a pale yellow color.  You could use an electric mixer to do this, but my preferred low-tech method is to use a whisk and some serious muscle.

Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.  Beat in extracts.

Add combination of flour, baking powder, and salt slowly, about 1/4 cup at a time.  Mix until just combined, being careful not to overbeat.

Spread batter into the pan evenly, then artistically arrange the nectarine slices on top of the batter.  Or you can arrange them to fit the most nectarines possible onto the cake.  Which is what I did.

Stir together nutmeg and 1/2 tbsp. sugar in a small bowl, then sprinkle over the cake.  Bake until golden-brown and firm, about 45 minutes.  Let cool in pan for about 10 minutes, then remove the sides of the pan.

One of the coolest things about this recipe is how the cake rises to envelop the fruit, which is originally just perching on top of the batter.  It makes for a really pretty slice:

And it's so simple, highlighting the taste of the fresh fruit.  Cutting conservatively, I cut about 12 slices out of this cake.  While it's a beautiful dessert, I think it would be equally nice for a summer breakfast.

Happy eating!