Soft, cinnamon scented, sticky fruit base tea cake – an easy, delicious home cooked afternoon treat. 

The rather odd name for this Tea Cake came from my inspiration for the recipe. There are sometimes a small collection of sad looking fruits in the bottom of the fruit bowl, too soft and squishy and unattractive to catch anyone’s eye. The half a dozen stone fruits and three apples that sat forlornly in the bowl on my kitchen bench fit this description. Although they were past the firm and fresh edible eating phase, they were perfect for turning either into jam or a baked treat. I chose the latter and the fine layer at the base of this tea cake is a welcome tangy surprise to the tastebuds. 

The sponge based topping is a variation of Nigella Lawson’s Victoria Sponge. I have added cinnamon which complements stewed fruits, omitted the cornflour and used organic raw sugar rather than its over-processed cousin, caster sugar. The raw sugar has the added benefit of adding a warm, golden hue to the sponge. 

Fruit Bowl Tea Cake to serve 12 people

An assortment of 9 or so very soft fruits, whatever you have in your fruit bowl that is not citrus. 
250g unsalted butter, softened – 225 g for the cake batter, 20 g for the fruit and 5 g for greasing your tin.
225g raw sugar for the batter plus 2 teaspoons for the fruit mixture. 
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
225g self raising flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 180 degrees on a conventional setting. Grease the sides and base with butter. I used a classical looking oval ceramic baking dish measuring 33 cm x 26 cm (I have a favourite from the Pillyvuit range that bakes and washes up like a dream!). You can however use a 23cm springform baking tin, but I recommend lining this with baking paper as well as greasing with butter to enable the slices of finished tea cake to slip out onto plates with ease. 

Wash and peel your fruit. Be careful with the peeler because the skin will be a little fiddly to remove when the fruit is very soft. Dice into small 1cm pieces. Place this along with 20 grams of the butter and 2 teaspoons of raw sugar in a saucepan over a low heat. Cook gently for 10 minutes until the fruit turns glossy, sticky and very soft. Spread evenly over the base of your cake tin or baking dish. 

Using electric beaters or a KitchenAid style mixer on a stand with attached bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add the vanilla and the eggs – I add them all at once because I’m always in a hurry – and beat until combined. 

Add the flour, cinnamon and milk and increase the speed and beat until combined and smooth. 

Scrape into your baking dish or cake tin and place in the oven. My tea cake cooked evenly with a golden brown , light as air top in 30 minutes. If using the 23cm baking tin, then it will take about 40 minutes. Insert a skewer into the middle and if it comes out clean, the cake is ready. 

Slice and serve straight from the ceramic baking dish or remove the outer edge of your springform tin, then slice into generous pieces. Best eaten while still warm with a dusting of icing sugar and a dollop of thick, whipped cream. I’m going to make this again when the weather turns cooler and ladle over stovetop vanilla scented custard.