Yesterday I wrote about muscadine grapes, which include a coppery green variety known as the scuppernong. Well they've been on my mind all week. On Tuesday, I stood in a friend's mother's backyard around sundown, fending off mosquitoes as I plucked heavy handfuls of scuppernongs from the musky, sweet vinegar-smelling vines.

Tomorrow I will make scuppernong cake, my new favorite early fall treat. I came up with this Southern take on rustic Tuscan vintners cake last September - slightly cooked scuppernongs tucked, skins and all, into a light, olive-oil scented batter. I like to serve this cake with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.



Recipe after the jump: Scuppernong Cake

2 cups scuppernong grapes
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sugar
6 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
A pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

To prepare scuppernongs:

Rinse grapes and slice in half. Squeeze insides into saucepan, reserve skins. Cook insides on medium until juices bubble and seeds loosen. Remove from heat and gently squeeze out seeds, then put the insides and the skins back in saucepan and
cook on medium until skins tenderize a bit and juices thicken, about 20 minutes.

For cake:

Preheat oven to 350 and butter and flour a springform pan.

Beat eggs and sugar with electric mixer until thick and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Add butter, oil, milk and vanilla and mix until blended.

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add to liquids and mix, scraping down the sides, until well-blended.

Stir grapes into batter, reserving a handful of grapes for the top of the cake. Pour batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth out the top with a spatula.

Bake in the center of the oven for 15 minutes, then sprinkle the top of the cake with remaining grapes. Bake until the top is a deep golden brown and the cake feels quite firm when pressed with a fingertip, about 35 minutes more. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then release onto a rack. Serve at room temperature.