Buckwheat Apricot and Cherry Cake

The buckwheat cake with apricots and cherries is a delicious dessert that combines the rusticity of buckwheat flour with the sweetness of summer fruit. Here’s how you can prepare it.

Ingredients

• 200 g of buckwheat flour
• 100 g of all-purpose flour (for a more Italian variant, otherwise you can use only buckwheat flour)
• 150 g of sugar
• 100 g of soft butter
• 3 eggs
• 1 sachet of baking powder
• A pinch of salt
• 100 ml of milk
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (optional)
• 200 g of fresh apricots
• 200 g of fresh cherries
• Powdered sugar for decorating (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. Wash, dry, and pit the cherries and apricots. Cut the apricots into wedges.
3. In a large bowl, cream the butter with the sugar until soft and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, continuing to stir.
5. Mix in the buckwheat flour, all-purpose flour, sifted baking powder, and a pinch of salt, combining everything well.
6. Gradually incorporate the milk to soften the mixture, then, if you wish, add the vanilla extract.
7. Pour half of the batter into a buttered and floured cake tin (about 24 cm in diameter).
8. Evenly distribute the apricots and cherries over the batter.
9. Cover with the remaining batter and level the surface.
10. Bake for about 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
11. Allow the cake to cool before unmolding, and if you like, dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Fun Fact

Buckwheat flour is gluten-free and has a very special flavor, slightly nutty and rustic, which pairs perfectly with the sweetness and acidity of the fruit. This flour is widely used in the mountainous areas of Italy, such as Trentino-Alto Adige, where buckwheat cake is a classic. The version I provided marries this tradition with the freshness of apricots and cherries for a summer twist.