Mixed Berry and Peach Cake

What could be more tempting than enjoying seasonal fruit with a delicious tart? Today Eva, author of Bake-Street, brings us a recipe that will encourage you to go out and look for wild berries and peaches to make it. Because yes, this tart is as delicious as it looks!

As this time of year arrives we can start enjoying seasonal fruits like blackberries and blueberries; those of you near the mountains are lucky enough to pick them straight from the bush.
Those of us surrounded by asphalt and buildings will have to settle for buying them at markets at a more reasonable price than the rest of the year.

Personally they are my favorite fruits, which is why as soon as their season arrives we eat them at home more than in other months. They are very versatile and we can eat them with yogurt, in salads, cakes… even make a filling for a pie.

I've always loved fluted-edge molds, like this Emile Henry ceramic one, which lets you press the dough to the edges and gives it that elegant look knowing it won't lose its shape from the heat during baking. Another thing I love is being able to make a high filling to match the mold's design, so you could say it was love at first sight.

Nothing fascinates me more than a pie with a big fruit filling, and if it's blackberries and blueberries… even better. At home they adore peaches, so I decided to add one and a bit of ricotta cheese; the contrast and combination turned out wonderful. Don’t expect a very sweet pie — the fruits prevail in flavor, slightly sweet and tart. So if you prefer it sweeter I recommend adding a bit more sugar.

The result will be a perfect pie to start the morning or to finish the day on these summer evenings.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE DOUGH:

315 g of wheat flour
227 g of cold butter
90 g of cream cheese
45 g of cold water
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt

FOR THE FILLING:

375 g of blackberries
375 g of blueberries
1 large peach
3-4 tablespoons granulated sugar
100 g of ricotta cheese

FOR DECORATING:

1 egg beaten with a pinch of salt
flowers

METHOD

Prepare the dough

- If using a stand mixer:

In the mixer bowl add the flour together with the sugar, salt and the butter cut into small cubes. Mix with the paddle until you get a sandy mixture.

Add the cream cheese and the water, mix again until you obtain a homogeneous dough.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide into two parts, one slightly larger than the other. Shape into two discs, wrap individually in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

You can make it the day before and let it rest in the refrigerator overnight.

- If making by hand:

Using a grater, through the larger holes, grate the butter. Set aside.

In a large bowl add the flour together with the sugar, salt and the grated butter. Mix with the palms of your hands rubbing the dough between them, you will obtain a sandy mixture.

Add the cream cheese and the water, mix with your hands until you get a homogeneous dough.

Form the discs and chill them the same way as described above.

Prepare the tart

If you have left the dough to rest overnight in the refrigerator you should let it temper for about 30-40 minutes so it can be rolled out easily. The dough should still be cold to handle; otherwise it will be very difficult to work with.

To roll out the dough and avoid problems when moving it or having it stick to the work surface, do so between two sheets of parchment paper.

Start with the disc with the larger amount of dough which will be used for the tart base.
Place it between two papers and roll out with a rolling pin. You should exceed the mold's diameter by 3cm, not the base but the top edge.
To know if you've reached the right size you only need to place the mold, overlapping, on the dough.

Remove the top sheet of paper and help yourself with the other sheet to move the dough and place it over the mold, fitting it to the shape. Before placing the dough lightly dust the mold with a bit of flour.

If you've taken too long handling the dough it's likely that when it warms up you won't be able to remove the paper without tearing the dough — it will stick. In that case place the mold in the cold, with the dough and the sheet of paper, and leave a few minutes for it to chill. Once the dough has cooled you can remove the paper without problems.

Fill:
Wash and dry the blackberries and blueberries well, pour into a bowl.

Peel and chop the peach, combine with the other fruits, add the sugar and mix.

Pour the fruit mixture into the mold lined with dough and place small amounts of ricotta cheese throughout.

Decorate the surface:

Place the tart in the refrigerator while you roll out the remaining dough.

Proceed in the same way as before. Place the disc between two sheets of paper — you can reuse the previous ones — and roll out with a rolling pin. This time roll it to a thickness of about 2-3 mm.

Once rolled out, remove the top sheet of paper and prepare to cut. You can use leaf- or flower-shaped cutters, or cut with a sharp knife to simulate their shape. In my case I used the latter method.

When you have the leaves cut across the surface, take the tart out of the fridge and begin to decorate the entire surface.
With the remaining dough form a ball and roll out again. If the dough becomes difficult to work with, place it in the refrigerator or freezer so you can cut it easily again.

Once decorated put it back in the refrigerator for around 2 hours before baking; this way the dough will harden and after baking will hold its shape better.

Bake:

Preheat the oven to 190ºC with top and bottom heat.

Remove the tart from the fridge, brush the surface with the beaten egg and place in the oven for around 60 minutes or until the top takes on a nice golden color.

If it starts to brown too quickly you can cover it halfway through baking with a sheet of aluminum foil and finish baking this way.

Remove and let cool completely before eating.

When serving you can decorate it with small flowers and accompany it with a scoop of ice cream.

STORAGE: Once cool you can store it in the refrigerator in the mold covered with plastic wrap or unmold it and place it in an airtight container. It keeps perfectly for 5-6 days.