Fruit baked in cake

[christy319]

A few years ago in northern Italy (near Lake Como) I had a very simple dessert that I'd love to recreate. It was just like a single layer sponge cake with peach slices baked in it, with powdered sugar dusted on top. I made a sponge cake with peach slices, and it wasn't quite right. I know I could fuss around but it seems easier to ask here. I am not a huge fan of crisps/crumbles/buckles/etc and so a very simple cake like this, with fruit in it, is worth perfecting IMO.

So--does anyone know a cake like this, and can you recommend a recipe?

[Caitlin McGrath]

This isn't a sponge cake, but it is a simple cake with fruit baked into the top, and may serve your purposes: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/279043

This cake was a huge hit years back on Chowhound, and there are many threads discussing it: http://www.chow.com/search?query=sir+...

[christy319]

This is exactly the kind of thing I was hoping someone would suggest--thanks! I will definitely make it. I might also try the tea cake, upside down and pound cake suggestions too. I actually do make clafoutis and love them, but it's a different thing.

[greygarious]

Whether or not fruit is dusted in flour, it most often sinks to the bottom of the batter, unless that batter is extremely thick. So I have stopped fighting the inevitable, and now I make upside down cakes regardless of the kind of fruit. Apple, apricot, berry, peach ..... they all work just as well as
pineapple. You can either do the old-fashioned cast iron frying pan version, or line the bottom of your baking pan with parchment, sprinkle with sugar or brown sugar, dotting with pea-sized bits of butter, arrange your fruit, and pour on a cake batter of your choice.

[pine time]

Recently did this method using peaches and a poundcake batter. It was delicious, altho' all the fruit (which had been floured) did sink to the bottom, so I decided to call it upside down cake.

[todao]

http://voices.yahoo.com/peaches-cream...

[chefj]

You said you though it was a sponge cake and tried that. Could you describe the difference between your attempt and what you had it Lombardia ? I would think that it would have been a more of a Tea Cake, with either Butter and or Almond meal(or paste) as are common there.

[katecm]

Good points. There could also be a difference in the peaches, too. Were your peaches super-ripe? I could see how a very ripe peach would result in a very different cake texture from a harder peach. You also might want to play around with a clafoutis: http://www.joyofbaking.com/breakfast/...

[wyogal]

I was thinking clafoutis, too.