Taste and Occasion

You will quickly notice that this cake recipe is actually super versatile: In spring and summer as cherry or apricot cake, in autumn as sunken apple or pear cake, in winter with preserved fruit, canned mandarins, or tropical fruit. That's why for me, this recipe replaces lots of other 'special recipes' - no matter what fruit, this recipe will turn them into a cake.

summer cake recipe made of sponge dough

Ingredients

The foundation in each case is a straightforward sponge cake for the baking sheet, for which I replace a part of the flour with ground peeled almonds. They make the cake really moist, fluffy, and delicate. Wonderful!

Quick and fast Fruit Cake

How to make the summer fruit cake

The preparation takes less than 10 minutes. The cake is then only half an hour in the oven. And there you have a super variable and colorful fruit cake that hits the spot everywhere!

Honestly, even if you are looking for an easy fruitcake with a readymade base, I encourage you to give this recipe priority. Ten minutes should be plenty, right? After all, you can refine this dough to your heart's content - and it definitely tastes like more than sugar and additives.

Recipe Recommendation

Classic Scottish Shortbread
Classic Scottish Shortbread

This easy Scottish shortbread is made with a sandy mixture and traditionally cut into oblong strips, known as "shortbread fingers."

To start the baking journey, preheat your oven to 175 degrees top and bottom heat.

Grease your baking sheet and dust with flour or cover with baking paper. Prepare and wash the fruit, remove any seeds, and cut them into pieces or slices, depending on the variety.

Once that's done you can beat the softened butter with the sugar until it is fluffy. Then, stir the eggs one by one into the butter mixture. Mix flour with almonds and baking powder. Add to the dough alternating with the milk. Stir vigorously, but not too long. The dough should fall off the spoon with a hard tear, add some more milk if necessary.

Spread the dough on the baking sheet and smooth it down. Spread the prepared fruit. Bake the cake for about 30 minutes until golden brown.

Fruit Cake from the Baking Sheet

Top Tip

If you like, you can flavor the sponge cake with lemon zest, cinnamon, or vanilla.
The almonds make the cake super juicy. Groundnuts are also suitable. You can also just use flour (then only 400 grams) or replace part of it with cornstarch.

Recipe Card

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5 from 1 vote

Summer Fruit Cake

Easy, quick, always delicious: this colorful fruit cake from the baking sheet made of sponge cake becomes super moist. Depending on the season, tastes great with fresh fruit, frozen or canned fruit.
Prep Time10 minutes
Baking Time30 minutes
Servings: 1 baking sheet
Calories: 259kcal

Ingredients

  • 250 grams (1 cup) butter, soft
  • 170 grams (6 oz) sugar
  • 5 eggs, medium-sized
  • 200 grams (1 ½ cups) all-purpose flour
  • 200 grams (1 ¾ cups) ground almonds, or nuts or flour
  • 17 grams (1 ½ tablespoon) baking powder, 1 small bag
  • 130 milliliters (½ cup) milk, rough indication
  • 800 grams (3 ½ cups) fruit, weighed unplastered

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C. Grease baking tray and dust with flour or cover with baking paper. Prepare and wash the fruit, remove seeds, cut into pieces or slices, depending on the variety.
  • Beat the softened butter with the sugar until fluffy. Stir the eggs one by one into the butter mixture. Mix flour with almonds and baking powder. Add to the dough alternating with the milk. Stir vigorously, but not too long. The dough should fall off the spoon with a hard tear, add some more milk if necessary.
  • Spread the dough on the baking sheet and smooth it down. Spread the prepared fruit. Bake the cake for about 30 minutes until golden brown.

Notes

A wide variety of fruits are suitable for the cake - from fresh apricots, blueberries, cherries, apples, or pears to frozen berries or drained tangerines or canned peaches.
If you like, you can flavor the sponge cake with lemon zest, cinnamon or vanilla.
The almonds make the cake super juicy. Groundnuts are also suitable. You can also just use flour (then only 400 grams) or replace part of it with cornstarch.

Ingredient substitutions

Do you want to replace some ingredients? Here you find tips for baking ingredient substitutions!
Moist summer fruit cake

Summer Fruit Cake Variations

A wide variety of fruits are suitable for the cake - from fresh apricots, blueberries, cherries, apples, or pears to frozen berries or drained tangerines or canned peaches.

Instead of almonds, ground hazelnuts are also suitable. Or some cornstarch or pudding powder. With lemon grated, cinnamon, vanilla or tonka bean, the fruit sponge cake also gets a unique flavor.

Delicious Summer Fruit Cake

Similar Recipes

But even if this moist fruitcake is quick and easy, there are many more delicious options now in early summer. All our fruitcake recipes are collected in this category. And this lemon cake from the baking sheet also tastes like spring in winter 😉

For example, how about my fruitcake from the baking sheet with sprinkles? Or the easy strawberry cake with pudding, the apricot cake with curd, the crumble cherry cake? For a springform pan, my basic fruit base recipe is ideal for topping. Unfortunately, summer feels much too short to bake them all again this year. 😉

5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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4 Comments

    1. Hi Barbara, sure, there is a one-click conversion next to each recipe - just click on "US Customary" below the ingredients and you'll see US measurements.

      Best
      Jan

      Reply

  2. Hi there! Thank you for sharing such an amazing recipe with amateur bakers like myself. I just have a couple questions:

    1) Is the butter salter or unsalted?

    2) How big is your pan?

    Thanks!

    Reply