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This may or may not happen to you, but sometimes when I’m a guest in someone’s home, where everyone pitches in to make dinner, all eyes (or just the host’s eyes) fall on me to make dessert. Gulp. I happy to pitch in with the cooking or bringing along a few baked goodies for the weekend, but I’m not always prepared to bake on the spot.

If you’re lucky, there may be a scale, a cake pan, a sharp knife, and hopefully sugar, butter, eggs, and flour. If you’re really lucky, there might be a whisk and a spatula, too. But if you’ve ever tried to peel a dozen apples with a steak knife because it’s the only one that’s even close to sharp, or eyeball 1 cup/140g) of flour, you know what I’m talking about. I once did a post on Things I Bring When I’m a Guest for the Weekend, which raised the ire of some, but I require a minimum of a knife, a spatula, a bowl, and a cake pan if I’m going to bake something, like a cake.

You’re likely familiar with the Moelleux au chocolat, the soft warm individual melting cakes that everybody loves. (If you have the kind of friends that have six to eight ramekins, well, that’s great.) I recently saw French food writer and journalist François-Régis Gaudy (his book, Let’s Eat France, translated into English, is a lot of fun and pretty amazing) make a Moelleux à la abricot on his Instagram page, which didn’t require a mixer or any special equipment. Not even a whisk!

His Apricot Cake was a very casual affair, baked in a rectangular mold on a sheet of parchment paper, and came out of the oven rather free-form, looking exactly like something that would come out of a French home cook’s kitchen, when baking dessert for friends. I’m fine with that but didn’t know if you were, so I thought I’d tinker with it and make it in a cake pan, which is easier to slice. I also fiddled around with the ingredients, as well as putting the brown granulated sugar on top (rather than underneath), to give the moelleux a nice sheen.

I used a springform cake pan but you can use any similar-sized vessel; an 8-, 9- or 10-square or round cake pan would work, or even a baking dish. The baking time will vary but if your experience with using a variety of ovens in other people’s homes is anything like mine, you’ll find that each one is different, and what one says is 350ºF/180ºC will be different than another whose dial says 350ºF/180ºC. I don’t travel with an oven thermometer but may add that to things I bring when I’m staying with people.

Tip: If you’re staying in someone’s place for the weekend, you can mix the dry ingredients in a container or zip-top bag then put the dessert together when you get there.

I made one cake with apricots first, which was sensational, but knowing fresh apricots are harder to come by elsewhere, I made another one with plums, which came out great as well. It would work with other summer fruits and berries but I really like the tanginess of apricots or plums against the moist cake layer, so stuck with those two. A handful of berries wouldn’t hurt either, but I do recommend keeping it simple.

Moelleux aux fruits d'ete

Inspired by French food writer and journalist François-Régis Gaudry I liked the apricots and plums in this "Soft Cake of Summer Fruits (fruits d'été)" so recommend using those, especially if you like fruits on the tart side, although nectarines, peaches, cherries or berries would work, too. I made this a few times and definitely prefer this with the mix of almond- and all-purpose flour. The ground almonds (almond flour) are really delicious in the dessert, but if you can't get ground almonds (sometimes called almond meal or almond flour), you can use 1 1/4 cups (175g) of all-purpose flour in place of the mix. NOTES: The picture in the post of the batter shows 3 eggs being added, and I took that photo while testing the recipe, which I did a few times. The final recipe I came up with, below, uses 2 eggs. Also, I'm posting this while on vacation and originally omitted the sugar. I didn't bring my testing notes on vacation but remember it being the amount (1 1/4 cups) listed below, but you could use more or less as it's a very adaptable cake. (The original recipe that inspired this one called for 330g, or 1 2/3 cups of sugar, with slightly more fruit and batter.) But if you want to wait to make the recipe until I return, I'll update the recipe in September if necessary.
Servings 8 servings
  • 1 1/2 pounds (680g) apricots or plums, (or another summer fruit, see headnote)
  • 3/4 cup (110g) almond flour
  • 1/2 cup (65g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, preferably aluminum-free
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (230g) granulated sugar
  • 5 ounces (140g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, (or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons coarse granulated brown sugar, such as tubinado sugar (or granulated white sugar)
  • Halve the fruit and remove the pits. Slice the fruit into 3/4- to 1-inch (2-3cm) wedges. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC.) Grease a 9-inch (23cm) springform pan very well with butter or non-stick spray. (If you don't have a springform pan, you can use another cake pan but it may be harder to get the cake out so you may want to also line the bottom with parchment paper.)
  • In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the almond flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. (My preferred tool to use for this step is a silicone spatula.) Add the soft butter and mix it in with the spatula until it's broken up into little pieces, roughly the size of kernels of corn. Stir in the eggs and vanilla extract, until it's almost smooth. It's fine if there are small pieces of butter visible.
  • Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Arrange the wedges of fruit on their sides in concentric circles over the batter, snugly placing the wedges against each other, pressing them gently into the batter as you go. Avoid putting them right up against the sides of the pan. It's best to leave some room for the batter to rise between the fruit and the pan, to avoid juices from the fruit adhering to the sides of the pan as the moelleux bakes. (It's unavoidable - and natural - if using juicy fruits, like plums, to have juice run out. But placing the slices not right up against the sides of the pan will help you get the cake out of the pan later.)
  • Sprinkle the coarse sugar over the top and bake until the center just feels set; a toothpick inserted into the center should come out free of cake crumbs stuck to it, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and set on a cooling rack. If any fruit juices have bubbled up and stuck to the sides of the pan, run a knife around the outside of the cake, which will help it release later.

Notes

Notes: If you want to make this gluten-free, I'd go with the almond flour rendition, and use a gluten-free flour substitute in place of the wheat flour. If you want to reduce the sugar in the recipe, you could cut it by 6 tablespoons/75g and skip the sugar on top, although I wouldn't.

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138 comments

    • Cynthia Gibson

    David, am now living in Uzès and the apricots, my favorites are almost over! Do you have a recipe for red or white currants that are baked? J’adore the apricot recipe, thanks! Mrs. G

    • Rozanne Charbonneau

    HI David, I love your writing and cooking. I am an American living in Switzerland. Our baking powder is single acting, not double acting, like in the States. Should I double the baking powder in this recipe to make it? Or just use the amount written here? Thank you for all of your jokes and recipes, which keep me smiling. Best, Roz

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      Thanks! I don’t know the conversion between single- and double-acting baking powder, or even if there is one, but you might want to check around online for a conversion.

        • Victoria Carr

        I make a cake from the blog Chocolate & Zucchini, Jean François Piège’s Childhood Cake, and was having trouble with it sinking, which I think might have to do with the American baking powder I use, so when I was in France last year, I went into Monoprix and bought some Alsa baking powder, which is single acting, and what I assume bakers in France use so I would have guessed that’s what you use too.

          • Judy

          Terrific recipe and thanks for taking the time when you’re on vacation. So now, breathe easy and enjoy your vacation. You deserve it! You habitually bring good food and a wry laugh to my week. Thank you.

        • Rozanne Charbonneau

        Thank you, David, after googling, it looks like the two are interchangeable and I will just use the amount that you have written here. Looking forward to making this delicious looking cake!

    • Karura

    Baking in other people’s houses is always a bit stressful. I once crushed up some cinnamon sticks because I couldn’t find where my host kept their ground cinnamon – and then it turned out that they had it in a cupboard I hadn’t noticed.

    • Ailbhe

    Hi David – I just took your survey and added some comments. My big comment was asking for a nominal fee to get full recipe / method details and stay this side of paywall. Then for special occasions / a treat for subscribers to your newsletter an occasional freebie or the most popular download as a freebie when you first sign up (I’ve been on your list for yonks!) Enjoy the break

    • nomi silverman

    Notes: If you want to make this gluten-free, I’d go with the almond flour rendition, and use a gluten-free flour substitute in place of the wheat flour. If you want to reduce the sugar in the recipe, you could cut it by 6 tablespoons/75g and skip the sugar on top, although I wouldn’t.

    • Patty

    Funny that the photo shows three eggs but, the recipe only calls for two.

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      Yes, check the headnote for why that is. I tested the recipe a few times, sometimes using 3 eggs, but the final version (printed in the recipe) uses 2 eggs.

      • bebe

      read. the. post.

    • witloof

    Hi David, I can’t wait to make this! I wasn’t sure if you intended to leave out the name of the author of the original recipe?

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      I had a link to his Instagram page (twice) with his recipe, but forgot to hyperlink his actual name. Fixed!

    • Caroline

    Can’t wait to make this and laughed at what to bring to a friend’s house. I brought all the ingredients for the Texas Peach Crumble to a friend’s lake house. They neglected to tell me the oven did work! I baked it on their gas grill – not ideal, yet worked out.

      • Dora

      I can relate! Once brought my kitchenaid with the pasta rollers as well as ravioli stamps to a friends house to make a pasta dinner. :-)

      This cake looks delicious. Trying it out tonight

    • Francine Helene

    David, this is mouthwatering, as most of your recipes are. I grew up in this treat. My parents were from Ukraine where this is made as soon as plums become available in people’s gardens. It is called Platzok. In France we used to make it all the time too from the fruits my father grew. You are a really one of a kind David. And your cuisine reminds me of the delights I grew up with. Thank you.

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      Thanks Francine, Yes, these kinds of cakes are popular in Europe; usually fresh fruits on a base of batter, often with almond flour. Off to look up Platzok now! : )

    • Johanna Kratz

    Strangely enough I improvised a moelleux aux prunes jaunes with almost the exact quantities at the weekend (3/4 cup sugar and brown sugar sprinkled on top and no almond power). I added a fairly generous tablespoon of Vielle Prune to the batter and it was delicious. My favourite kind of cake and so easy. Enjoy your break! I always enjoy reading your blog.

    • Antoinette

    Enjoy your break, you deserve it!

      • Terry

      How do I stop the plums from sinking.

    • Lisa Greenstein

    This is what I would like for breakfast tomorrow morning with coffee. And possibly every morning.

      • Leslie

      David, thank you for being a bright spot in my day every time I read your work. Can’t wait to try this Moelleux aux fruits d’ete. Perfect for tomorrow morning. Enjoy your vacation!

    • Carla

    You can come cook in my apartment in Miami anytime. There is not one kitchen utensil, tool, etc you will need to bring! Just finished renovating and my husband says I built a kitchen and left a little bit of room for living space, lol.

    • Debbie

    Have all the ingredients and will be making this afternoon. Bonnes vacances!

    • lamassu

    so much fun reading that!
    there is a similar recipe around here, from the nineteentwenties
    + I love it, so easy to make
    but I began substituting butter with sunflower
    the cake is fluffier

    • lamassu

    so much fun reading that!
    there is a similar recipe around here, from the nineteentwenties
    + I love it, so easy to make
    but I began substituting butter with sunflower oil
    the cake is fluffier

    • Laura

    Can you make this without the Almond flour?

      • Christine Moore

      Hi Laura, David writes in his notes, “you can use 1 1/4 cups (175g) of all-purpose flour in place of the mix.”
      So, yes you can. Enjoy this yummy recipe!

        • HTT

        This cake was unbelievably delicious… although my quetsches all sank to the bottom…no fruit on the surface. Any idea why? No matter, I will be making this again this weekend. Big merci!

          • David
          David Lebovitz

          I don’t know why they sank but as you can see in the photo, the apricots in my cake didn’t remain on top but the plum version did!

            • Ivona Smith

            I once read a comment for a similar recipe on another site that stated if you take care to really cream the butter and sugar in the beginning, the fruit tends to stay on the surface. Not sure if that’s true…but will try it.

    • soosie

    Where’s the moelleux? I’m not seeing anything oozing out…?

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      I refers to a tender or moist cake, not necessarily one with an oozing center. Although with the chocolate ones, often the center is melting but not always :)

        • Susan Cox

        I made this cake and then had to make it again a few days later, it was so good! (Baking is one of my pandemic outlets, but I live alone so I have to give half of it away.) It’s a new favorite and my friends LOVED it, too.
        Last week I happened to see this recipe and it is also FABULOUS. Ginger and cardamom with plums, what’s not to like? Only change I’ll make is it needs more fruit.
        https://zestysouthindiankitchen.com/plum-cake-with-ginger-and-cardamom/

      • Leslie

      David, thank you for being a bright spot in my day every time I read your work. Can’t wait to try this Moelleux aux fruits d’ete. Perfect for tomorrow morning. Enjoy your vacation!

    • Kathleen

    Dear David, During this crazy COVID period, you have been such a bright spot in my world. I look forward to every post, every story, and save them as “treats” for when I need a break from work and the daily worries. Thank you. Have a safe and reinvigorating vacation.

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      Thanks so much for your nice words Kathleen! Xox

    • Pamela J McNab

    Oh, parfait! I was canning peaches and had about two pints left over. This sounds delightful. You have truly been a lifesaver during COVID although I’ve been a fan for years. Merci mille fois pour partager des vos vies avec nous!

    • Philana Yu

    Hi David, Just making this now as well as your Spiced Plum Cake with Toffee Glaze. My plum tree had a good year! FYI – tho the sugar is in the edited recipe, the 1.25C Sugar remains omitted from the Print version (when you click the printer icon at the top of the recipe). Have a wonderful vacation!

      • Nywoman

      I missed the fact that there was sugar in the recipe apart from the topping.
      Made it this morning sans sugar. It is fine and delicious as per the printed recipe, I now have an almost sugar free cake which I will keep on making.
      David and Romain bonne vacance.

      • Kathleen

      Ha-ha! I know what you mean about being a guest and the kitchen is not up to snuff. I once stayed in a house where the host asked me to cut up some vegetables. A knife was supplied, but it seemed there was no cutting board at all. I couldn’t get my head around that!

    • Patty

    David- Love the stories, preambles , you include before the recipes. It makes the recipe seem special even before I attempt to make the dish.

    • MR in NJ

    How did you know I had just over 1 1/2 lb of apricots and little red plums in the fridge somewhat past their prime and eager to be baked into something? I used both in alternating concentric circles. Part vanilla extract and part almond. Almond and all-purpose flour, as in recipe. Looks as if it had come from a bakery and I can’t stop eating it. The tartness is increased because I forgot to include the sugar! (When will I learn not to bake while on the phone?) But it’s surprisingly lovely without. A timely treat and now I can stop fretting about using that fruit in the fridge! Thank you, David, for this gift from your vacation.

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      Good to know it’s fine without the sugar!

    • heidipie

    Just made this, and it’s sublime! My son is always willing to go smash the apricot pits with a rock and extract the kernels, so I ground them and added them to the almond meal. The almond flavor is intense; it tastes like a frangipane cake. The fruit sank completely below the surface and the top has that lovely crispy top. Great recipe, thanks!

    • Ann

    Is there a way to adjust recipe to all almond flour?

      • Judy Steiner

      Your apricot cake looks amazing, although I don’t think we have any till August. I will use the Italian prune plums, one of my favorites. I am also going to make th his with gluten free flour, I hope it’s just as good. I was told my gluten free banana cake was even better than the regular one. Thank you.

    • David from Davis

    We tried this tonight with pluots from our backyard pluot tree. It came out wonderfully. Like some of the commenters, our fruit was almost totally submerged in the crust – which was great. We used almond extract and the pastry tasted like a fruit-filled macaroons. We will definitely put this on our Do Again list.
    Thanks!

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      I love Pluots! We don’t get those in France, although sometimes I see some imported from Spain, but they’re sort of industrial fruit, not the lovely homegrown ones. Yes, when I made it with apricots the fruits submerged a little in the batter (I included a photo of that) but the plums stayed on top. Good idea to include some almond extract. I was going to offer that up as a possibility but the recipe was getting too long and it’s meant to be something simple : )

      • Ginger Smith

      I used Italian plums and they all sank in the cake completely submerged. It tastes great, but I like the look with at least some of the fruit showing. I was surprised that they sank because the pieces were thin and the plums were small as well.

    • Danita

    Made this today and just had a piece while it was still a little warm. It is very good and was pretty quick and easy to put together. I used a mix of plum and sweet cherries. The almond flour really enhances this recipe. I made the recipe as posted and used turbinado sugar for sprinkling on top.

    • Victoria

    This is similar to Marion Burros famous
    NYT plum torte except she doesn’t use almond flour which I think is a nice addition.

      • Mary F

      That is a wonderful recipe, I wonder if they still publish it annually like they used to??

        • Nancy Cohn

        It’s in the ny times this week :)

      • Micheline

      I actually thought David’s recipe is tastier than the plum torte to be honest and easier because it did not require using my stand up mixer :). I am also not a fan of cinnamon in desserts. Almond flour and vanilla work well. I did this recipe twice this week, with cherry plums and then with nectarines, both a hit! Thank you David for your lovely summer fruits recipes!!

      • Maureen

      Yes. As a result I appreciated the idea to use a rectangular jelly roll pan for large amts/double-triple recipe.

    • Ana

    Tiene una pinta riquísima!!!!! Se ve delicioso!

    • Jelena

    This is delicious, I baked a small version (halved the recipe) today. I did reduce the sugar (still sprinkled some on top) and it turned out great.

    • Ellen N.

    Hi David,

    I completed the questionnaire about your website which made me curious about how many recipes I’ve made from this blog. I’ve made 50 recipes from this blog many of which are favorites in my household.

    Thank you very, very much for adding so much deliciousness to my life.

    Yours,

    Ellen

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      Thanks Ellen! It’s going to be interesting to see the results to see how many people make recipes, and which ones they gravitate toward. I’ll post results the final results in the fall : )

        • wildbill

        David…….thank you for doing the survey and writing about the results. Your insight and thoughtfulness is a huge contribution to understanding how it all comes together. Merci!

    • Laura

    This is easy and delicious! I used the almond meal and extract and cut back the sugar as you suggested I could. It’s like an elegant cousin to that classic NYT plum torte (which came from where? France?) Anyway it made our day nicer and I hope you’re having a lovely escape.

    • Pam

    We are 2 person household, and I usually end up eating the majority of any dessert, so to save me from myself I made a half-recipe and baked it in a 7″ springform. Couldn’t fit half the amount of fruit (apricots) that was called for, otherwise it came out great. IMO, it’s better the next day; the apricots have had time to absorb some sugar yet still retain some tartness, and, now I’m finally getting the floral notes that I love about apricots. But fresh from the oven was pretty darn fantastic as well.

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      I’ve not used a 7-inch springform but only made it in my 9-inch springform and the apricots fit fine. Pic here. (It’s the “before” picture of the apricot cake in the post.)

    • Helen

    This turned out great with only all-purpose flour and a combo of apricots and peaches. This is my favourite summer dessert of David’s that I’ve tried this year.

      • Helen

      Forgot to mention that I reduced the sugar to 1 cup and it worked fine. Next time, I will reduce by another 1/4 cup for personal preference.

    • Daria Babij

    How can I make it vegetarian? What substitutions do you prefer and how much?

    • Janet

    Would this recipe work with apples? I know it’s summertime, but the veggie/fruit delivery service I’m getting keeps sending me apples that I’d like to do something with.

    • Melissa

    I made this using a combo of apricots and cherries that I had frozen. It was REALLY delicious, but the fruit all sank to the bottom and was visible only when the cake was cut into. I wonder if fresh fruit would sink less possible due to lower water content.

    I reduced the sugar in the batter by 25g and it was still plenty sweet. Would try 50g reduction next time. Definitely do not skip the sugar on top.

    I shall experiment with other fruits!

    • Richard

    I actually made the cake with no sugar in the batter, as originally posted, and it tasted terrific…the sweet of the sugared plums on top was just right with a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side! Also, as to not overcrowd the plums, I only used about ⅔ of the amount in the recipe, baked in a 10 inch round cake pan with space between the plums and it came out picture perfect! This recipe is a keeper! So easy!!!

    • Betty

    I’ve just cut a slice of this cake. I love the crunch on top, and the tart plums are balanced by the cake. Thanks for an easy summer recipe!

    • Deborah Binder

    Since I make Marion Burros Plum Cake alot (I have an Italian plum tree in my backyard), I intuitively knew that there was something “off” with this recipe when there was no sugar in the batter. But I just thought perhaps that the sweetness from the fruit (I used organic raspberries from my yard and organic nectarines from the market) was supposed to be the sweet component of the recipe–along with the sprinkle of course sugar on top! So into the oven it went. Then I googled and saw that you had revised the recipe! Yikes! Too late. It just came out of the oven and I used diluted apricot jam on top of the fruit to add extra sweetness and give it a nice sheen. I plan to serve it with extra sweet whipped cream. Hope it works! If not, will you send me one of your cookbooks as a consolation prize?! Please!? (I hate WASTING food!) ;-)

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      A lot of people (in fact most of the comments these days…) are people asking about, or mentioning, reducing the sugar in recipes. Some made this one without any sugar and said it was fine; one person said they simply brushed it with some apricot jam. So I would do that.

        • Deborah B

        That’s exactly what I did…with vanilla ice cream it was edible…but I know it will be better with sugar in the batter!

    • janet

    I made it with a mix of stone fruit–apricot, yellow peach, white peach and plum. Taste was divine, but VERY moist, and all of the fruit sank below the upper crust.

    • Deb

    Does anyone know how much the fruit should weigh after the pits are removed? I would like to make this with sour cherries that have already been pitted but not sure how much to use.

    • Anne

    I made this yesterday with apricots. I didn’t use all the fruit because I thought it would be too crowded so my fruit didn’t show on top. I guess I misunderstood the directions. BUT…. this is DELICIOUS!!!! Thank you for sharing your recipes.

    • Barb Marler

    This looks divine. I just put one in the oven. Unfortunately, when I printed the recipe the other day, it didn’t list the sugar in the batter ingredients. Very odd, but oh well! I had a nagging feeling that I should double check. I think we will enjoy it anyway – just a bit different than intended.

      • Barbara Marler

      Follow up – it’s a great recipe, and I’m sure I’ll make it again including the sugar or other sweetener in the main recipe, but cut by 50%. I enjoyed the tangy baked plums, and this would have been even better with a light hand of sugar in the batter.

    • Kathleen Cressler

    This cake is incredible. I used plums and mine also sunk but the taste was amazing. The only thing I would change would be to wrap my springform pan with foil as butter leaked all over the floor of my oven and smoke came bursting out every time I opened the oven door. Mine took about 45 minutes to come clean. I would make this again and again! Thank you David! You are a love!

    • David
    David Lebovitz

    Helen, Melissa, Viktoria, Barbara, and Laura: Ok, got it. There are a number of similar comments about baking and quantities of sugar. I test dessert recipes using various amounts of sugar (and butter and cream) which I align with my tastes and tolerance before I publish a recipe. But since so many have noted similar comments to yours (right now it seems ~75% of people in the comments want less-sugar in recipes) I will focus more on savory recipes in the future, which I enjoy sharing too!

    Kathleen: I made it a few times and my springform didn’t leak. The recipe was getting long-winded so I couldn’t mention directions for every situation but if you have a springform pan that’s prone to leaking, yes, it’s best to always wrap the bottom in foil : )

    Janet: I think you could give it a go with apples as there are French cakes that are similar with apples arranged on top.

    • Adrian

    I have made this lovely cake twice now (once with peaches and strawberries, and once with plums) with a couple of changes. I didn’t have almond flour, so I went with all ap, and I also decreased the sugar by the recommended 75 g the first time and by half the second time, and it was still amazing! I did sprinkle sugar on top, so it was still decadent and sweet enough for me. Thank you David for a truly delicious cake!

    • Ellen N.

    Hi David,

    I made this with pluots. It was delicious. In fact, it was so delicious that when I asked my husband to taste it he ate 1/4 of it.

    Please, please ignore the commenters who want less sugar. Your recipes are very moderately sweet. They always have exactly the right amount of sugar to showcase the other ingredients and give the dessert a nice texture. I will be sad if you stop posting dessert recipes.

    You’re the best.

    Yours,

    Ellen

    • Michelle

    Hi David! I made your cake with plums and served it tonight. It was stellar. The plums sank as many people mentioned but the taste and texture were excellent. Thank you!

    • Nina

    This was spectacularly delicious with plums but definitely too sweet with all the sugar. I suspect if using apricots it might be just right. I overcooked slightly and the chewy crust was amazing…might be a recipe in my future based off of this…

    • Micheline

    David, thank you for a fantastic recipe, yet very easy to make. I made it with plums earlier this week in a sprinform cake pan and despite buttering it well, it was impossible to take it out due to the plum juice that caramelized. And then I did it with nectarines yesterday and user a parchment paper in a cake pan and… has to leave it on the parchment paper on the dessert plate.
    I also did your rhubarb strawberry galette yesterday and our friends loved both, the combination of tanginess of the rhubarb and moelleux sweetness was a hit.

    • Linda

    David, I look forward to trying this one, and just want to add a note after reading your post about the survey, as there did not appear to be a note section there. I own both The Perfect Scoop and Ready For Dessert, and they are among my favorites of dozens of dessert cookbooks on my shelf. I wouldn’t dare change the amount of sugar in one of your recipes! Just sayin…

    • Lee

    I made this 2 times and it was a BIG hit. Delicious and easy. The crusty bits around the edges were especially good. Any hints about how to prevent the fruit from sinking into the batter. It didn’t effect the taste (I used nectarine and threw in some wild blueberries – called bleuets in French Canadian) but your photo is so appealing. Thanks David. Your site is a bright spot during these dark times.

    • Kiki

    David, I did fill in the survey and have just read, with great gratitude, your August newsletter and first findings. Interesting, to say the least. As one cannot ‘reply’ to the newsletters, allow me to ‘use’ this platform to thank you once again for your truly incredible kindness, generosity, always super helpful and detailled details/descriptions/recipes/whatevers…. – it’s a privilege to have access to your writing, to read your books, to get the sharing of your incredible knowledge. We love all those stone fruits and I made at least once per week a Swiss Wähe (fruit tart) – with a shop bought pastry (we get a really nice Dinkel (spelt) pastry here), and since I forgot once to add some maize starch, I’ve never gone back to it, so it’s a very light, crusty, nearly sugar free affair and gets eaten far to quickly. Your recipe here brought a lot of water back in my mouth and it shouldn’t – as we had fruits galore the last days.
    Anyway, thank you from the bottom of my heart for EVERYTHING you share with us – it’s very much appreciated.

    • Larry Cole

    Thank you for this recipe which instantly goes into the make-again file. Since it was past apricot season in Maryland, I made it with peaches and plums. It was delicious but if made it again, I’d reduce the sugar to compensate for the sweeter fruit.

    • Martha

    So
    Darn
    Yummy!
    I will say I could not for the life of me fit all the fruit in. Not even close. I was using a combination of peaches and plums, so maybe that had something to do with it? Peaches were small though. I crammed what I could ontop, probably too much. will know better next time. also added a touch of Herbs De Provence into the batter for a touch of savory. (I can never leave a recipe totally untouched :-/) so lovely. Thank you.

    • Katie

    I’ve made this three times. Once with plums, then peaches, then pluots. So easy, so great. The plum one was the best. The pluots were a little too tart. The peaches weren’t tart enough. I made two small adjustments. I was short on almond flour so I reversed the ratio of almond to AP. Then I changed the extract ratio to 1/2 tsp vanilla + 1/3 tsp almond extract. Looking forward to trying it with apricots next year, but the fact that various plums make for a long season means using plums is a perfect default.

    • Gil

    This recipe is an amazing surprise. I’ve made this three times, it became an instant hit. First time, plums sank.. great taste. Second time, smaller cuts and … plums sank. grrr… . Third time – still no visual (-: . Any suggestion? the pan was exactly the size in the recipe.. maybe cut a bit the baking powder?

      • Lee

      I hope David sends some hints. I had the same issue. Great taste though as you note.

        • David
        David Lebovitz

        I don’t know why fruit sinks. I posted pics of before and after for the two tarts I made and either way, if the fruit stayed on top or not, they were delicious. If you want to try tossing the fruit in a little flour or cornstarch, that may help them stay on top. If you do try it, let us know how it turns out!

    • Irene

    It is entries like this that got me so hooked on your blog some ten years or so ago… I may not have visited France, but you take your readers on your journey and right into your kitchen.

    Too bad, I can’t get packham pears anymore. And asian varieties don’t bake well. And though the fruit seller promised me that plums are in season, they didn’t actually have any good ones earlier. I’ll try this with mangoes instead sometime this week, and see what berries I can find.

    I hope you had a good vacation!

    • C. Henig

    I am having difficulty in getting your posts and newsletters since I changed email. Is there a way to address that on this site?

    • Lisa

    So, I had some slightly overripe peaches and some blueberries and thought they’d be perfect in this cake, so I buttered the pan and asked my 10-year old to place the fruit in a pretty pattern on the bottom of the pan. When I finished making the batter, I realized that actually, the fruit was supposed to be placed on top… oops. But not wanting to ruin the work of my daughter, I decided to try with the batter on top and guess what? Beautiful and delicious upside down cake! I will definitely make this again, especially since it doesn’t require a mixer which I can’t use while my kids are in online school due to the noise

      • Tati

      I love your recipies, and your blog as well and the news letter and books! The books are a great read as well.
      This cake is in the oven now and smells heavenly! I used peaches as we had a basket of them and added a little cardamom to the batter. Thank YOU! Your recipes are excellent! Next week will be the plum cake with Caramel drizzle…It reminds me of my Ukrainian mama only elevated.

    • Dennis Yannakos

    I love fruit too, especially peach!

    • Sara F

    Will be baking this for the second time! Simple, but so delicious- my whole family went crazy for this cake. Thanks David!

    • Sasha Slorer

    David, I just made this for my kids and we loved it. I used plums which were sweet and wonderful. The cake is a perfect combination of gooey and firm in parts. It’s easy to make, and the house smells of baked butter and plums. Thank you for bringing joy into our homes through your recipes. xxx

    • Alexia

    I made this today and it turned out really well. Thank you for all your lovely recipes which are always so well explained.

    • Alex

    Hi, David. Thanks for the recipe. I made the cake yesterday with freshly-bought plums from my neighborhood farmers market. I sliced up 1-1/2 pounds of plums and ended up using only half the wedges after forming a layer of the fruit in snug concentric circles. The cake came out beautifully and, btw, I thought the amount of sugar was perfect. However, I also had the problem of the fruit sinking. I guess my question is…would it have been okay to put a second layer of plums over the first with the excess fruit? I almost tried it but instead made a plum compote to compliment the homemade fleur de lait ice cream I served with the cake. Anyway, my partner and I thought the moelleux aux fruits d’ete was a perfect tribute to the end of summer. Keep the dessert recipes coming! And thanks for providing some sweetness during this gloomy time!

    • Jessie

    I made this exactly as written, with plums plus one nectarine to make enough fruit. It’s so good! Please don’t stop posting your recipes — everything I’ve made has been delicious, the stories make it so much more fun than just reading a recipe, and the directions make new techniques manageable. We love your newsletter and blog.

    • Maureen Moore

    Hi David, this looks delicious and I plan to make it soon. Just wondering how long it stays moist and fresh as I was thinking of making it a couple of days ahead of when I plan to serve it? Many thanks

    • christine rabbat

    I made this with italian plums, and without almond flour ( just regular all-purpose flour). It was perfect, a forever keeper. Thank you , all the recipes you make are perfect.

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      Thanks for letting us know you enjoyed it using all regular flour. Happy you liked it!

    • sally

    I made this with peaches and it was AMAZING. 50 minutes to bake.

    Please ignore all the low sugar comments – for each one of those comments, there are at least 100 from people who love your desserts and buy your books. I’d hate for you to have fewer desserts on your blog as a result of a TINY minority of people.

    • Susan Merrill

    I love cakes like this. A perfect summer dessert or breakfast cake.
    I have made it twice and was wondering if it’s truly 5 oz (140 grams) of butter? I think I used 5 Tsp the first time because I did not read closely enough and it came out fine. The second time I used 5 oz (10 Tsp) and it seemed like a lot of butter for 1 1/4 c of flour. Cake was very moist and fruit was at the bottom so thought the butter amount may have been the reason for these results. No-one else has mentioned this so I am sure it’s me. Delicious regardless! Just checking….

    • Kristina

    Hi David,
    Thank you or all the wonderful recipes that you so generously share with us. I made this with Italian purple plums and used almond meal. It was very delicious. Family wants me to make it again. If I cannot find plums at the market tomorrow, I will try it with apples for Rosh Hashana.

    • İpek

    Hi David,
    I know you talked about which cake pans can be used but I could not understand the part that can I use an 8 inch springform pan? It is because of my English by the way.
    Thank you:)

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      In Europe generally the springform pans are around 9-inches / 23cm but can vary. You can use a smaller pan – you may need to bake the cake a little longer as it will thicker. Enjoy!

        • Meh

        Question – can I assume the amount of fruit listed is prior to pitting and possibly peeling? Do you have a post measure for fruit in case I want something that doesn’t need pitting or because the amount of pit in a pound of fruit will vary? Thank you!

          • David
          David Lebovitz

          I’ve never heard of anyone peeling apricots or plums and the amount of skin, if you did, would be a negligible weight. When recipes list an amount and weight in an ingredient list, that’s the weight of the purchased (whole) fruit, unless it specifically says otherwise.

    • Ann

    Dear David – if you ever find yourself in Brisbane, Qld. in the post covid world, I have ramekins and an oven thermometer and would love to have you visit any time! A delicious post as always.

    • KAM

    Hi David, I made this for a friend’s birthday and used 1/2 cup of sugar (rather than a full cup), 5 tablespoons of butter, 2 jumbo eggs and sliced pears, in a 9″ square glass baking dish lined with parchment. Sprinkled top with a tablespoon of dark brown sugar. It came out looking beautiful and tasting very delicious. For folks wanting to cut down on sugar, it’s a nice option. Thank you for sharing the recipe. A keeper!

    • natasha

    Just made this with my father! This tasted absolutely delicious, however, our batter puffed up dramatically and swallowed the pluots whole. At the end of the day, the fruit had completely sunk to the bottom of the pan! Do you know what we may have done wrong?

    • Hope

    Oh my goodness, this is wonderful. I made it with apricots, exactly as written, and my 19 year old exclaimed, “Delicious! Just the right amount of tart!” I agree. Perfect ratio of tart and sweet.

    • Reba Kerrigan

    Thank you David for a wonderful recipe. Making this recipe for the fourth time—very forgiving. First time I had only a lb. local smaller green plums, used less sugar and turned out exceptionally. Made the peach version and really good. Used local red smaller plums and also exceptional. Just put in the oven my fourth try with the recipe using black plums and expect another sensational dessert. No ice cream or whipped cream needed. Used parchment paper the second time around but trouble getting it off a warm cake that needed to be flipped back and forth. We serve it warm and I move all slices off the springform base before completely cooled so no trouble getting off the base. Used almond extract each time. Can’t wait to try with apricots.

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      Thanks for your feedback. Glad you’re enjoying the recipe with all the beautiful fruits you’ve described!

A

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