When the fall is in the air, think Grape Cake

Reading through the hundreds of blogs I usually read every week (yes, although I don’t comment to every single post, I read many of you guys!), these days I see apples, cinnamon, and pumpkins everywhere. Everybody is very much focused on the start of the autumn. I am too somehow, even though in the Bay Area it really doesn’t seem fall these days.

However, I have a feeling that there is an overwhelming presence of some ingredients and a neglect of others. Don’t get me wrong. I love all the autumn colors and flavors that we, bloggers, are using. But when I think about September/October/fall/Autumn, something else comes out prominent in my mind: wine grapes! Maybe because I’m Italian, maybe because when I was living in Florence my best friend used to always have a grapes schiacciata ready for me, or maybe because I had a huge amount of wine grapes at home, I felt the urge to bake something with them.

I opted for this grapes cake because it‘s very simple. You need few ingredients and 5 minutes to whip it up! (you have to let it rest for some time, though) It is actually also a good way to use up those grapes that are almost gone bad.

You can pair this cake with a spoon of crème fraiche and make it a wonderful dessert or have it as a breakfast treat with a cup of coffee. In any way you choose to serve it, it’s great and won’t last long.

Grape Cake

Ingredients

125 gr (4.5 oz or 1 cup) all purpose flour

2 gr (1/2 tsp) salt

5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract

85 gr (3 oz) sugar

35 gr (1.25 oz) unsalted butter, melted

2 eggs, separated

250-300 gr (8.8-10.5 oz) white wine grapes

Wash the wine grapes, dry them and split each grape in half to eliminate the seeds.

In medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the sugar, and then add the melted butter (just warm, not hot!)

Stir in the flour previously mixed with the salt, and the vanilla extract and mix until well incorporated. If the mixture is too dense, add a spoon or two of milk.

Let the mixture sit for a couple of hours (or less if you are in a hurry).

Preheat the oven to 340F degree. Prepare a 9” springform pan with parchment paper and/or butter and spread the seedless grapes on the bottom.

Whip up the egg whites until you obtain a very firm cream and add it to the cake mixture. Remember, it is very important to mix slowly and with top-to-bottom movements. Also, use a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula and try not to over-mix or you will flat down the white eggs whip!

Pour the mixture onto the grapes.

Bake for 35-40 minutes. Let the cake cool on a cooling rack before attempting to unmold it. Optional: sprinkle a thin layer of confectioners’ sugar or pair it with crème fraiche.

Have a sweet day!