During wet summers, the folds of the Rocky Mountains hold within them a secret for foragers—wild red fruits. Tiny alpine strawberries line the hills in messy lengths that span across the mountainsides, nourished by mineral- rich soil and afternoon rains and sweetened by the warmth of the summer sun. Ripe red raspberries, fringed by dark green leaves, hang heavy from thorny canes all along the alleys and half-forgotten gardens of the mountain town where I make my home. I take what I can manage, always leaving plenty for the next person who happens by. We eat our fill fresh while they last, but I also enjoy tossing them with red currants from a local farm and into the egg-rich batter of a custard cake that I bake for breakfast, serving it with whipped cream or homemade yogurt.
SERVES: 6 TO 8
INGREDIENTS:
- ¼ cup fresh red currants
- 1 cup raspberries
- ¾ cup fresh strawberries, hulled
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons high-extraction wheat or einkorn flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup unrefined cane sugar
- ½ teaspoon finely ground unrefined sea salt
- Whipped cream or yogurt, to serve
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.
- Toss the currants, raspberries, and strawberries together in a large mixing bowl with the 2 tablespoons of flour. Spoon them into the prepared cake pan.
- Whisk together the eggs and cream in the now-empty mixing bowl until glossy and uniform in color, then beat in the sugar until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the remaining ½ cup of flour with the salt.
- Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then stir with a wooden spoon until a smooth, uniform batter forms.
- Pour the batter over the fruit.
- Bake for 45 minutes, or until the outer edges of the cake are set but its interior wobbles slightly when you jostle the pan.
- Allow the cake to cool until just barely warm, then slice into wedges and serve with whipped cream or yogurt.
