Blechkuchen

Big, versatile, and always delicious, this gorgeous fruit-topped cake from my mother-in-law Josy’s kitchen is a cinch to whip up and feeds a crowd.

Blechkuchen is just referring to the way this Kuchen (cake) is baked, on a Blech (baking sheet). It can be topped with all kinds of seasonal fruits, from cherries to plums to blueberries.

The original recipe was actually for rhubarb, and was published in a newspaper many moons ago.

Josy clipped it and pasted it into her coveted little black and white recipe book (where she keeps all her best recipes).

Over the years she adjusted it (adding, what I think is crucial, ground almonds) and topping it with all kinds of fruits.

Apricots and blueberries are a great combo, as is the original, rhubarb. It’s also excellent with numerous members of the plum family—mirabelles, Zwetschgen, Reine Claudes...

300 g flour

300 g sugar

100 g semolina

100 g ground almonds

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

4 eggs

300 ml milk

250 g butter, melted

200 g sour cream or half fat quark

1 tsp vanilla paste or extract, or a few drops bitter almond / almond extract

700 g fruit

Preheat oven to 200 C / 400 F / gas mark 6.

Line a large baking sheet (35 x 40 cm) with parchment paper. Alternatively, lightly grease the baking sheet.

Prepare your fruit:

Wash your fruit and, depending on what fruit you use, cut it. For rhubarb, cut into small pieces, for stone fruits halve or quarter (though I usually just tear them open and pit them as I’m placing them on the batter).

For the cake:

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, semolina, ground almonds, baking powder and salt.

In a large measuring cup, whisk together the eggs milk, butter, sour cream or quark, and vanilla or almond flavouring.

Fold the wet ingredients into the dry, mixing sparingly until just combined.

Spread the mixture over the baking sheet, it will be quite liquid.

Top with your prepared fruit.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the it has browned around the edges.

Semolina is also sold as semolina flour. In Swiss supermarkets this is called Hartweizengriess / Semoule de Blé dur / Semola di Grano Duro.
You can dust the finished cake with icing sugar, if desired (this looks especially pretty on the rhubarb cake).