Recipe: Any Fruit Tea Cake

This is one of those fabulous recipes that is so versatile - I make it all the time if I have unexpected guests for afternoon tea.  This one is with apple, rhubarb and raspberries.

It's really a chorus of the previous post for 'garden quiche' - "A recipe is a tune that you can sing your own song to".  I make this with any fruit that I have to hand - at the moment that is mulberries, peaches, nectarines, raspberries and rhubarb (lots of rhubarb!).  But, it can be apples, pears, apricots, figs, strawberries, plums, cherries, purple grapes, blueberries - in fact, just about anything.

Preheat oven to 160oC.  Grease a 22 cm round spring-form cake tine.

125g butter at room temperature
1 cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
11/2 cups wholemeal, self-raising flour (you can use plain)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp icing sugar, sifted
1 1/2 cups seasonal fruit (see above)

1.  In food processor, beat butter, sugar and vanilla essence until pale and creamy.
2.  Add the eggs, one at a time, until fluffy
3.  Gently fold in flour, cinnamon and baking powder (you can do this with the 'pulse' button)
4.  Spoon mixture into prepared tin and scatter chopped fruit over the top.
5.  Dust the top with half the icing sugar (this makes it crunchy) and bake in oven for 50-60 mins.
6.  Remove from oven when cooked.  Dust with remaining icing sugar.
This cake is best eaten within a couple of days.

Unexpected and hungry guests for afternoon tea!!