Judging by my last visit to the grocery store, it seems like club soda, instant noodles, and cleaning supplies are in short supply, but grapes of all varieties have flooded the market... red, green, black, seedless, juicy and bursting with in-season sweetness. I came back home armed with a couple of kilos. They were soaked, washed and a lot of them were frozen (we love eating them that way). I also used some to finally bake this Winemakers’ Grape Cake that I had bookmarked for years. The recipe for this delicious cake studded with grapes is courtesy @marthastewart (https://www.marthastewart.com/332913/winemakers-grape-cake).

I made a few small changes to the original recipe... replaced half a cup of all-purpose flour with almond flour and used cream in place of whole milk. I also sprinkled some caster sugar on top for a crunchy contrast to the soft, jammy grapes. There is no actual wine in the cake (though the addition of some Moscato or Sauternes would be quite lovely). Overall, it turned out absolutely yum. If fresh grapes are available where you are, do try it.

Recipe

Winemakers' Grape Cake

Ingredients

2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs at room temperature
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (I used Amul salted butter and measured out the butter after melting it)
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup cream (I used Amul Fresh Cream)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/8 tsp pure orange extract (optional)
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup blanched almond flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 cups small red/green seedless grapes
2 tsp caster sugar to garnish

Method

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Grrease and flour a 9-inch springform pan and set it aside.

Using a handheld electric mixer, whisk the eggs and sugar together for a few minutes until pale and thick. Stir in the melted butter, olive oil, cream, extracts and lemon zest. Mix until well blended.

Sift in the flour and baking powder. Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until completely blended. Set the batter aside for 10 minutes. This will allow the flours to absorb the liquids and the batter to thicken.

Fold 1 cup of the grapes into the batter and spoon it into the prepared pan. Smooth out the top and bake the cake for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, briefly remove the cake from the oven. Working quickly, top with the remaining grapes and sprinkle the caster sugar on top of the cake. Return the cake to the oven ans bake until the top turns golden brown and the cake feels quite firm to the touch (this took about 35 minutes in my oven).

Remove the cake from the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool. After 15 minutes, release and remove the side of the springform pan, leaving the cake on the base.

Cool the cake completely before serving. Slice and enjoy!