Late autumn fruit - made for the finest cakes

Late autumn has dominated the market stands. Beautiful bunches of white and black sweet grapes, yellow pears with a touch of red, apples that are just about to show us their autumn spectacle, then irresistible blue plums and the queen of autumn, the pumpkin, which although a vegetable, also does well on sweet terrain.

Of course, all the fruits taste great raw, in their best form, but when you've had enough of them, you can use them not only in jams and marmalades, but also to make the most fragrant, aromatic and delicious cakes.

First of all, there are the classics: strudels and pies. You really don't need to talk too much about them - the best are the ones with homemade crusts or so-called greasy dough. Some will put lard in the pie dough to achieve the most crumbly texture, while others will opt for butter and the whole staircase will smell of it. Both strudels and pies can handle all autumn fruits, and because of their natural sweetness, you won't need to add serious amounts of sugar. Just a little cinnamon, vanilla and lemon zest, and - it could hardly get any better!

Then there are the beautiful tarts and crostatas – French and Italian versions of our pies. The dough is made strictly with butter, there are variations on the addition of eggs, and the fruit is either cut into pieces or sliced, and sugar and lemon juice are added to it. The flavors you will add depend solely on you, as well as the combination of fruits you will use. The specificity of tarts and crostata is the 'grid' of dough that covers the layer of fruit and which gives the whole cake a distinctive homemade look.

A special story is the tarts with frangipane cream, prepared from ground and blanched almonds, butter, sugar and eggs. This cream is part of many traditional French desserts - from pastries and various cakes to tarts, galettes and pies. It goes well with fruit, especially pears and plums, so try it as soon as possible, trust us, you won't regret it.