Do you know that there is an easy way of baking an impressive fruit-loaded pastry without going through the pain of handling and rolling melting pastry?
Years ago, there was this fruit pastry cake baking craze in the Asian-blogsphere. It is an easy and sturdy sour cream or yogurt cake recipe (one of the recipes can be found at here) that can support a massive amount of baked fruits on top of it. It's a nice recipe but I find that cake pastry base tastes more like a giant muffin-like cake base rather than a pastry.
For me, I want my pastry cake to be thinner, more pastry-like and can hold the same massive amount of fruits!
Plus, I don't want my pastry cake to be sugar-loaded. Instead of adding the usual 150-180g sugar into the pastry cake base, I have added 75g sugar which less than than half of this original amount.
Furthermore, I like to strongly emphasise that I prefer to use fresh or frozen fruits, not canned fruits because they can contain additional sugar hidden in the preserving syrup. And it is really not necessary to consume these excess sugar!
Ahem! So you see... My fruit pastry cake is made with a pastry-like buttery base that is also baked with the same generous amount of fruits. It is not sugar-loaded and still tastes really good! Sorry if I sound like a brag... but I have to say my pastry-like fruit pastry cake recipe is way better than others! Or simply the best!!!
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| This is my Fruit Pastry Cake. Impressive? |
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My freshly baked fruit pastry cake... Its bright red strawberries topping tells me that Christmas is arriving! So I took a picture of it with our Christmas decorations... |
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This pastry cake don't just look pretty and Christmasy... Its 80% buttery pastry 20% cake, generous fruit topping and less added sugar ... make it super duper fruiti-licious! |
Originally when I was thinking of baking this fruit pastry cake, I just wanted to bake it with lots of summer fruits and berries. Then, it turned to be a treat that is rather Christmasy with its bright red strawberries topping. While taking several nice photos of it, I felt like the cheery season is arriving...
If you wish to bake this impressive fruity pastry for your Christmas or any occasions, I can show you how to bake it. Watch my video and you will see it is really easy to assemble and bake this yummy beauty.
Having said that, it is the time of the year that I need a break. Since the beginning of 2019, I started a new full-time job and it had been a huge adjustment for me and my family. Fortunately, my new job situation had worked out well eventually and I have to thank my husband and son for the continuous support that they gave me. Thanks Sweetie! You have been so mature and understanding to mummy...
From today to a week before Christmas, I will be busy baking for our friends and colleagues. I will share pictures of my bakes via my Instagram @zoebakeforhappykids but won't be sharing new recipes until 2020.
Then, we will be flying to Singapore and Bali for our Christmas break and soon, I will be back to blogging in early Jan 2020.
So Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and everybody. And I'll "see" you next year!
Here's the recipe.
Makes one 8 inch / 20cm round cake
For the pastry cake:
100g unsalted butter, soften at room temperature
75g caster sugar - the sweetness of this reduced amount is just right for us, original is 150g
1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
2 large egg yolks, 35g
1 large egg white, 35g
110g plain or all-purpose flour, plus extra to flour the pan
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
For the fruit topping:
10g plain or all-purpose flour
25g brown sugar, divided into one 10g and one 15g portion
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
500g any fruits* - this is the weight after the fruits are peeled, cored or pitted and pat-dried
* You can use pear, apple, nectarine, plum, peaches, strawberries, blueberries, cranberries or any berries or in any combination.
- For pears and apples, peel, core, cut into halves lengthwise and cut each half lengthwise into 4, pat-dry with paper towels.
- For nectarines, plums, peaches or any stone fruits, no need to peel, cut each into halves lengthwise, pitted, then cut each half into 2 or 4 depending on their sizes, pat-dry with paper towels.
- For strawberries, hull, cut into halves lengthwise and pat-dry with paper towel.
- For other berries, just wash and pat-dry with paper towel.
- Do not thaw and wash frozen fruits.
- For my pastry, I have used 220g apples from 2 medium apples, 240g strawberries and 40g blueberries.
For the pastry cake:
Beat butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until combined and fluffy. Add vanilla, then egg yolks and white bit by bit and beat well after each addition. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into the butter mixture. Mix until just combined. Do not over-mix.
Prepare fruit topping:
Combine 10g flour, 15g brown sugar and 1 tbsp lemon juice to form a smooth flour paste. Add the flour paste into the fruits and toss until the fruits are well-coated.
Transfer batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Arrange the coated fruits evenly over the batter. Sprinkle the remaining 10g brown sugar on top of the fruits. Bake for 60 mins or until the pastry base and edges are golden brown. If you are using frozen fruits, you will have to bake the pastry cake for an extra 10-15 mins, making sure that its base has to be golden brown and thoroughly baked.
Place the cake in pan to cool sightly on a wire rack or until partially set, about 15 mins, then carefully remove the cake from the pan and transfer onto a wire rack to cool further.
Allow cake to cool to slightly warm or room temperature, then cut into thick wedges to serve. It will taste 80% pastry-like when it is completely cooled.
Merry Christmas Baking!