The song Green Tambourine was rolling around in my head (an upbeat song from the late 1960s). Then I started thinking about what rhymed with tambourine. As my mind often does, it turned to food, and there on my kitchen counter were nectarines. They rhymed perfectly with tambourine, and a recipe was born.
This is a wonderful summer dessert showcasing an in-season fruit – the nectarine. Nectarines, like any fruit, tastes so much better in season. The sweetness hits your nose with its aroma and your mouth with its soft flavorful flesh.
This cake can be made ahead of time and served at home, brought to a picnic, or family gathering. The bits of nectarines in the batter keep the cake light and moist. Fruit, nuts, ice cream, or whipped cream toppings can be the added choice of the recipient. Even plain, this cake is a winner.
Bonus: You don’t have to spend a lot of time in the kitchen making this cake. The ingredients whip up quickly and cooking time is only about half an hour.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with desired toppings (see below). And if you really want to jazz it up, add a drizzle of peach schnapps for a little zing – yum!
Bang Your Tambourine for Cake with Nectarine
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 medium nectarines pitted, peeled and chopped
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Instructions
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PREP: Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush a 6-inch round cake pan with oil and line the bottom with parchment paper; brush the top of the parchment paper with oil and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
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Mash the nectarines with a potato masher or fork. Whisk together with granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl. Continue whisking and gradually add the olive oil.
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In a separate bowl whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Then add the flour mixture in small batches, to the nectarine mixture whisking until incorporated.
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Pour cake batter into prepared pan and bake 30-35 minutes or until golden. Cake should pull away from sides of pan, depending on pan size *see below). Let cool in pan for 10 minutes.
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Remove cake from the pan and dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Recipe Notes
OPTIONS:
- If you don't have a 6" cake pan, you can use an 8" square pan, however, cake will not be as high and cake-like and will cook faster than the deeper 6" cake pan.
- If you have extra nectarines, you can slice them up and layer them on the top of the cake. Also, can add other fruit like blueberries, raspberries, etc. as fruit toppings. Crushed nuts like macadamia or pine nuts also can be added as toppings.