torta soffice con frutta mista / sponge cake with mixed fruit

raspberries, mango and cherries on a soft cake

This delightful page comes from the novel A Mind to Murder by P.D. James (1963), the second of the Adam Dalgliesh novels. In my announcement for the current edition of Novel Food, I mentioned that I was reading it:

I read the first one Cover Her Face and liked it a lot, so now I am on to the second one. "In 1962 P.D. James' first novel, Cover Her Face, was published. In that novel she introduced the sensitive, taciturn, and hardworking Inspector Adam Dalgliesh" (source).

The murder to which the excerpt refers occurrs at the Steen Psychiatric Clinic, in London. An interesting detail is that at the beginning of the story, Superintendent Dalgliesh (of Scotland Yard) is asked to visit the scene of the crime while he is at a party:

At the other end of the square Superintendent Adam Dalgliesh of the Criminal Investigation Department was attending the ritual autumn sherry party given by his publishers which had coincided with the third reprint of his first book of verse. He didn't overestimate his talent or the success of his book. The poems, which reflected his detached, ironic and fundamentally restless spirit, had happened to catch a public mood.

Dalgliesh is a published poet: see, I told you that he is an interesting character. And P.D. James is a skillful and sensitive writer. I hope that the excerpts give you a glimpse of her art. With both novels, I had difficulty putting down the book, the traditional hallmark of the deeply absorbed reader.

The passage about the tea offered to Dalgliesh by Mrs. Fenton struck me particularly, since we are told in detail what was prepared for Dalgliesh and his reaction to the feast. Having recently presented two recipes for scones, I decided try my hand at something different to offer Superintendent Dalgliesh. I started my search using "iced sponge" as a trace, and, after looking at a number of recipes, I chose the one for Lemon Sponge Cake with Mixed Berries.

For Superintendent Dalgliesh, in the case at hand the conclusion does not come easy. In fact, in the lead up to the novel's denouement, he voices his uneasiness. This being a mystery, saying more would put me in the difficult position of revealing important details of the story and I'd much rather pique your curiosity and make you reach for the volume.

a nice, light cake

And now for the cake that I contribute to the tea prepared for Superintendent Dalgliesh. It a lightly sweetened cake with an soft texture that is just perfect for a proper English tea. I halved the quantities of the original recipe, halved again the sugar and made a couple more adjustments. I also used a mix of fruit, rather than jsut berries: raspberries (lamponi), mango and cherries (ciliegie). Instead of honey, I drizzled some fruit syrup on the top. The syrup is a by-product of macerating fruit for making preserves. At a preserve-making class I took from June Taylor, I saw her drain some of the juice produced by the fruit, when it was too much, which can happen, depending on the kind of fruit used. I boiled the syrup to reduce it slightly, and jarred it with the intention of using it in situations like the one at hand. It is lightly sweetened and very fruity.

Ingredients:

• 3 large eggs, separated
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 cup (50 g) superfine sugar: take 1 tablespoon of it after measuring
  
• 1 tablespoon hot water
• 1/2 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup cake flour
• Mixed fruit
• 2 tablespoons fruit syrup

Follow the instructions as on the original recipe with the following adjustments:

• Add the tablespoon of sugar you separated to the egg whites.
• Use an 8-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
• If your oven allows it, use the convection bake option.
• Check the cake after 30 minutes in the oven.
• Drizzle fruit syrup over top of cake; however, if you don't have syrup, use the honey and lemon juice blend as in the original recipe.

Considering the challenge I face every time I decide to decorate something, I am proud of myself for how I was able to keep my inner genie under control here. I think that a Kandinsky-influenced decoration would not have been appropriate in the case of Mrs. Fenton's tea.

This is my second contribution to the 16th edition of Novel Food, the literary/culinary event that Lisa of Champaign Taste and I have started some time ago.

This post contains the roundup of the event.

And I am submitting this recipe, bookmarked on the Prevention magazine website, to the July edition of Bookmarked Recipes, an event originally started by Ruth of Ruth’s Kitchen Experiments and now hosted by Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes.

This post contains the roundup of the event.

 Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

torta soffice con frutta mista

or launch the torta soffice con frutta mista audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

cake, fruit, raspberry, lemon, mango, cherry

Comments

[Ivy]

The cake sound delicious. I always use the syrup from my fruit preserves to wet my cakes.

[Merisi in Vienna]

Mrs. Fenton sure knows how to pamper her guest! The question, of course, being why in the world she went all out and showered the sort of feast described here on him! ;-)

Iced spongecake sounds very tempting and your version looks as if the Queen's expected at your table! I wished I had a frozen sponge squirreled away in the freezer, the only way I would be willing to prepare such a delight these days. Temperatures are hovering around a 100° F, and I am starting to think twice before I turn on the heat under my machinetta da caffè, lest it heat up the kitchen too much.

I remember several interviews P. D. James on NPR and especially one with Diane Rehm:
-> NPR's Morning Edition
-> an hour-long interview with P. D. James by Diane Rehm

Wishing you a great week and a happy 4th of July,
Merisi

[Simona Carini]

Ciao Ivy. I noticed that you also use fruit syrup in your cakes :)

Ciao Merisi. Before they have tea, Mrs. Fenton shows Dalgliesh the garden. The walk in the garden and then the tea build expectation for the conversation that finally happens, which will confirm Dalgliesh's idea about something connected to the murder.
Oh my, even Vienna is not immune from the heat wave, is it? It makes us Northern Californians even more thankful for the cool weather we have. I wish I could send you some refreshing ocean breeze. I can imagine how anything contributing to increase the temperature in the house should be avoided. Time for gelato and granita. Thank you so much for the links: I will certainly listen to the interviews. It has taken me long to finally approach P.D. James, but now I am determined to make up. Same to you, dear Merisi: I hope you'll get some cooling showers soon.

[Paz]

Wonderful excerpt and lovely recipe. I love that it has mangoes in it!

[Simona Carini]

Thank you, Paz. We also like mangoes a lot. I recently tasted some from Haiti that were really good.

[Simona Carini]

I realize I didn't quite answer your question in my previous comment. My interpretation of Mrs. Fenton's behavior is that she is uncomfortable with the story she needs to tell Dalgliesh and the walk in the garden and the sumptuous tea are a way of postponing the moment they will need to discuss the reason for Dalgliesh's visit and also to show him that she and her husband are nice, quiet, respectable people.

[Heather @girlichef]

This is beautiful...and I love your inspiration!

[A Canadian Foodie]

It is summer - and I have to read more - you have motivated me! And ANYTHING with raspberries has me wagging my tail!
:)
Valerie

[bellini]

I still love this lasting series.

[Simona Carini]

Thank you, Heather.

I am with you, Valerie: anything with raspberries is good for me.

Thank you, Val.

[Ana]

Nice cake. I really like fruit cakes as they have a tendency to be light and not too sweet. I recently finished "Death comes to Pemberly by PD James," and wrote a little something about it on my blog: http://sweetalmondtree.blogspot.com/2012/01/mashed-potatoes-infused-with-rosemary.html One can't go wrong with PD James. Love her!

[Duespaghetti]

This looks like a light and refreshing summer dessert. I was glancing at the photo curiously before reading the post to see if you topped the cake with crema pasticcera but was pleasantly surprised to learn that you moistened it with fruit syrup instead.

[Simona Carini]

Hi Ana. I know about the new P.D. James' book: it sounds very interesting. I'll visit your post to read what you wrote.

Ciao DueSpaghetti. I admit that adding crema crossed my mind, but I am glad I went with the syrup: I had never moistened a cake with syrup before and also it kept me closer to the recipe.

[Daily food recipes]

Wow cake looks super delicious. Will try this soon.