1 Fruity Cake, 3 Ways

 

This versatile, useful cake batter pairs beautifully with fresh or frozen fruit, making it perfect for dreaming up sweet treats all year long. But that’s not the only way this cake is flexible—it can also be made in a variety of different shapes and sizes. Try it as an upside-down cake, with the fruit acting as the gooey top layer. Or go for a super-easy skillet cake, with fruit studding the whole surface. Or try it as an easy loaf cake, hiding a layer of fruit in the center when you cut into it. Any way you slice it, this is a cake to turn to again and again.
—Erin Jeanne McDowell

TEST KITCHEN NOTES

Bake It Up a Notch is a column by Resident Baking BFF Erin Jeanne McDowell. Each month, she'll help take our baking game to the next level, teaching us all the need-to-know tips and techniques and pointing out all the mistakes to avoid along the way. —The Editors

Ingredients 

• 1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter, softened
  
• 2/3 cup (140 grams) light or dark brown sugar
  
• 1/4 cup (60 grams) vegetable oil or other neutral oil
  
• 4 large (226 grams) eggs, room temperature
  
• 2 teaspoons (10 grams) vanilla extract
  
• 1 cup (330 grams) sweetened condensed milk
  
• 1 2/3 cups (200 grams) all-purpose flour
  
• 1/4 cup (40 grams) fine yellow cornmeal
  
• 1 teaspoon (4 grams) baking powder
  
• 3/4 teaspoon (3 grams) fine sea salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) ground cinnamon