Summer Fruit Cake

This is not a light, airy summer dessert. This is a dense, loaded, seriously fruit-packed chocolate cake made with whole wheat flour and filled with chopped stone fruit, coconut, raisins, and walnuts. It’s closer to a fruitcake in spirit, but the cocoa and buttermilk make it something entirely its own.

The whole wheat flour gives the cake an earthy, nutty quality that pairs surprisingly well with the chocolate. Buttermilk and baking soda work together for the rise, and the cocoa provides a bittersweet backdrop that keeps all that fruit and coconut from tasting cloyingly sweet.

Use whatever stone fruit is ripe: apricots, peaches, plums, or nectarines all work. The chopped fruit releases its juices during baking, creating pockets of soft, jammy sweetness throughout the chocolate crumb.

The hot buttermilk glaze poured over the toothpick-pierced surface is what pushes this cake over the edge. The glaze soaks deep into every hole, keeping the cake incredibly moist for days. It bubbles when you boil it and sets into a thin, slightly sticky coating on top.

Kitchen Tips

• Poke the cake generously with a toothpick before glazing. More holes mean better absorption and a more evenly moist cake.
• Pour the glaze while it’s still hot. Cool glaze pools on the surface instead of soaking in.
• Let the cake cool completely before cutting. The glaze needs time to set and the fruit needs to firm up.

Variations

• Dried fruit version: Use dried apricots and dried peaches when fresh stone fruit is out of season. Chop them small.
• Dark chocolate glaze: Add cocoa powder to the buttermilk glaze for a double chocolate finish.