Easy to Make Summer Cake
A truly simple, delicious cake.
This recipe is so simple and quick. You can throw it together for a last minute get together or if you should have surprise company. There is very little that can go wrong and it is easy to improvise.
The beauty of this cake lies not only in its simplicity but in the way the flavors and textures mix to make it like...yes, I'll say it....a party in your mouth! The dough is light and crispy, yet also moist and chewy. The fruit is not cooked long enough to be too soft, yet just enough for the juices to slightly soak into the dough. The flavors are clear and fresh, while still melting in your mouth!
The recipe has been passed down from generation to generation.
My mother wasn't a great chef. She also didn't do much baking to my knowledge. Maybe it was because she grew up during World War II and the resulting depression, not too mention a restricted, kosher diet, but my mom truly embraced the invention of packaged foods. She thought they were the greatest. In fact, I would venture to say that she thought they were the next best thing to sliced bread! Truly, I believe that she really enjoyed them because they allowed her to spend more time doing the things she loved, including being a full time, involved, hands on parent. She was a Girl Scout Leader, in the PTA and volunteered in our classrooms. Her role in the bake sales was to organize and man them. I'm not certain what or if she produced as her baked offering! Still, every now and then, mom would find a recipe that she enjoyed makiing and we enjoyed eating. The following recipe is a variation of one of those recipes. It is still using some packaged foods but allows a certain amount of individuality.
So pretty!
"So long as you have food in your mouth, you have solved all questions for the time being."
~Franz Kafka
Colorful Summer Fruit!
Would you try this cake?
The Original Plum Cake.
The cake that inspired this recipe was fairly similar. My mother would press refrigerator crescent rolls into a greased pan. She would then put a light layer of margarine on it. She put a teaspoon of jelly every two inches, then placed a half of a pitted plum (open side face up.) She may or may not have sprinkled some sugar on top, but it came out of the oven warm, gooey and very sweet. If my dad was home, we would add ice cream or whipped cream or both! It was a simple yet decadent dessert. It is one of those recipes that brings back happy, loving memories. Yet, it was one of those recipes I forgot about....until....we started the search for vegan friendly desserts. It is one of those recipes that we were able to substitute and actually make better.Please read on to see how to make our yummy variation.
Only four simple ingredients in this delicious cake.
- 1 package refrigerator crescent rolls
- 2 cups assorted fruits
- 1/4 cup sugar
- vegetable oil or spray, to grease pan
- Grease a 10x13in baking pan.
- Press crescent rolls into pan. Bring edges together without overlapping. Put the remainder crescent roll in fridge to keep chilled during the next step.
- Clean and cut up your fruit. Put in a small mixing bowl and mix in the sugar.
- Pour the fruit evenly around the dough, leaving the edges fruit free.
- Take the remainder of the dough and either cut into shapes or thin strips to serve as the top of the cake.
- Place on the middle rack of a 375 degree oven for fifteen minutes.
"Food is our common ground, a universal experience."
~James Beard
Vegan Desserts.
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Calories | 174 |
| Calories from Fat | 72 |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Fat 8 g | 12% |
| Carbohydrates 24 g | 8% |
| Sugar 20 g | |
| Protein 2 g | 4% |
| Sodium 294 mg | 12% |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. | |
What prepared foods bring us.
In researching the nutritional value of this recipe, it reminded me of a couple of things:
- Adding fresh fruits and vegetables, does not guarantee a pure healthy dish. but...
- Adding fruits and veggies does certainly help keep a dish healthy.
- Most pre-packed, prepared products are fairly high in sodium
- Portion control DOES matter.
- Try to make as much from "scratch" as possible to maintain control over what goes into you body.
Pop Chef Fruit Cutter can also cut dough shapes.
In my previous hub, I introduced the As Seen On Tv Pop Chef fruit cutter. I have been really pleased with mine. It was my daughter's idea to use it to cut dough shapes for the top of our cake. We didn't let our dough chill enough so some of our shapes became a little "melty". I would recommend that you set aside the portion of dough you plan to use to decorate. This can stay in the fridge while you finish everything else. You will probably have more success than we did!
Step-by-step instructions for Summer Fruit cake.
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