My childhood Friday cake

Very special, very Latvian, very local.

Ingredients

400 g different more sour than sweet berries or peeled apples + pears cut into pieces

for the base:
6 egg yolks
240 g golden caster
seeds from 1 vanilla pod
200 g melted and cooled butter
140 g whole grain wheat flour (medium-coarse)
140 g wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of sea salt

.
for meringue:
6 egg whites
Pinch of sea salt

Prepare

Heat oven to 200 ° and line the base of a 25 cm baking pan with baking paper. Add 40 g of sugar and salt to the egg whites and place it in the fridge. 

Whisk egg yolks with vanilla and 200 g of sugar for 7 minutes, until they have doubled in volume and are pale white. Lower the speed to medium and slowly (in 3 parts) add butter, incorporating it well after each addition. Then slowly add the flour with baking powder, salt, and mix. Put the dough into the pan, level it, and sprinkle over the berries or fruit of your choice. Put it in the oven one level below the middle for 30 - 40 minutes. When it looks nicely baked and skewer inserted into the dough comes out clean (be aware that there can be a moisture from the fruits too).

When baking time is almost done, whip egg whites for 3-4 minutes until the meringue is glossy and stiff (not dry). 

Take the cake out of the oven, spoon over the meringue, level it, and put the cake back in the oven for 8-10 minutes more until beautifully golden. Take it out of the oven, let it cool for 30 minutes in the pan (draught free place), and then take it out and cool on a wire rack.

* During the winter, I use thawed berries, during summer – fresh. Or plums with some sour apples, or just raspberries. Anyway, I like to use a mixture of sour and sweet berries, since it gives that great contrast with the sweet meringue.