Serves 8
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
3 small apricots (about 2 to 3 ounces each)
3 small plums (about 3 to 4 ounces each)
1 cup (4 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
½ cup (2 1/4 ounces) stone ground yellow cornmeal
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoons sugar, divided
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter a Flan Dish and line it with parchment. Cut the cheeks off of all of the fruit and thinly slice. Then cut the remaining fruit off the pits and chop.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add eggs, one at a time, and vanilla. In three additions, alternate adding the flour mixture and the sour cream, starting with the flour mixture. Fold in the chopped fruit. Transfer the batter to the prepared Flan Dish and smooth the top. Lay the fruit slices on top of the batter, placing them in a decorative pattern if you wish. Sprinkle the top with the remaining tablespoon sugar.
Bake until the cake is golden in the spots where it peaks through the fruit and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack to cool slightly before slicing.
Samantha Seneviratne is a baker, food stylist, recipe developer, and a regular contributor to New York Times Cooking. She's the author of the James Beard Award–nominated The New Sugar & Spice, as well as The Joys of Baking, which was named one of the best baking books of 2019 by the New York Times. She stars in the web series Unchoppable for Food Network, Cook and a Half for Food 52, and the television series Everyday Cooking on Magnolia Network. She lives in Brooklyn with her son, Artie and her pup, Frances.
Follow Samantha: @samanthaseneviratne