One Fruit at a Time
+ a recipe for the only cake you need this summer
I went into the garden in the afternoon when the sun had softened a bit, and the bushes seemed to sigh under the weight of ripening fruits. The blackcurrant leaves gave off their green scent, almost peppery, and just walking past them made me pleased. I picked them slowly, letting my hands stain deep purple without a care. It’s a kind of pleasure no one talks about: the quiet, slow work of picking fruits you’ll eat later, the fruits you might eat now. The white currants looked like something from the sea. Translucent and pale, like shellfish or pearls, hanging in small clusters that barely looked real.
Then raspberries. I love how the ripe ones know when it is time to let go and how they almost fall into your hand with just the lightest tug. I picked them carefully, some for the basket, some straight into my mouth. And the black cherries, dark and glossy, impossible to ignore. I found two with their stems still joined and looped them over my ears, just like my mother used to show me when I was a kid. The smells, the stains, the softness of ripe berries letting go, and the tenderness of nature made me forget about the war in my motherland, Iran, just for a split second. Just like a brief dream, you don’t want to wake up from.
Every day, I pick fruits one by one. It’s a small, mindful act, but in its simplicity, it grounds me. While the war rages on in the distance, I live one day at a time, holding onto hope that peace will return to my country, to my family, and to the people I love. Until then, it is the rhythm of baking, the scent of something warm in the oven, and the presence of my loved ones with me that keep me attached to the present moment. These small rituals remind me that life goes on. Resilient and rooted in hope, one fruit at a time.
I hope you enjoy this recipe.
The recipe
Summer Berry Cake
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Ingredients
125 grams all-purpose flour
60 grams almond or pistachio or hazelnut flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
125 grams sugar
a pinch of salt
2 eggs, room temperature
120 grams butter, melted at room temperature
2 handfuls of mixed berries, I used raspberries, black, white, and red currents, and cherries
1-2 tbsp coarse cane sugar, for the top
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This versatile cake will serve 8 to 10 people
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Method
Preheat the oven to 150°C (fan-forced). Generously grease a 23 cm round cake pan or a 20 cm square cake pan with butter, and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper.
Sift the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Add the almond flour (or pistachio flour or hazelnut flour) and salt, and mix well with a balloon whisk.
In a medium mixing bowl or a stand mixer, beat the sugar and eggs until pale (almost white) and aerated, about 3–4 minutes.
Slowly stream the melted butter into the egg mixture. Do not overmix.
Gently fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture in two parts.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and arrange the berries on top, pressing a few into the batter. Sprinkle the top with coarse cane sugar.
Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and the cake is golden brown. Leave to cool before slicing and serving. Decorate with fresh or dried edible flowers and crème fraîche, if desired.
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Notes
If you want a thicker round cake, you can use a 20 cm round cake pan, but keep in mind that the cake will rise.
If you like, you can add some vanilla extract (around 1 tsp) or almond extract to the batter. For the sour cherry version I make, I add ½ tsp almond extract.
Noosh-e-Jaan, may it nourish your soul. x
