Autumn Fruit and Almond Cake Inspired by Diana Henry

This is a spin-off of a recipe for summer fruit and almond cake in Diana Henry's Simple: Effortless Food, Big Flavor. The original is a summer cake, featuring peaches, nectarines and unripe plums. Read all about it in our story.

Serves 8.

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened, plus a little more for greasing the pan

2/3 cup sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup sour cream

4 ounces marzipan, crumbled into bits

1/8 teaspoon salt

For the fruit topping:

2/3 pounds ripe black mission figs, sliced in half

2 not-quite-ripe medium plums, pit removed and sliced into wedges

1/2 pint blackberries

2 tablespoons sugar

Powdered sugar for dusting the cake

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 375. Cut an 8-inch circle from kitchen parchment, grease an 8-inch springform pan, and lay the parchment on the buttered bottom. Put all the cake ingredients into the bowl of a food processor, and process until very smooth. Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared pan. 

2. Place the fruit and sugar in a large bowl and toss gently to combine. Arrange the fruit on top of the batter; it's okay if it's messy. Put the cake on a rack in the middle of the oven, and place a foil-lined baking sheet on a rack below that, to catch any juices that overflow. Bake 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes, until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out sort of clean. It's a little tricky to tell when it's done; you want to make sure that there's nothing too creamy clinging to the skewer.

3. Let the cake cool completely in the pan, then release the spring on the side and gently remove the ring. Set the cake on a serving plate and sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar.