Fair Game

• The main benefit of frozen fruit is consistency: It is always available, always the same temperature and firmness. Frozen fruit is easy to incorporate into cake batter and results in predictable baking time. Most commercially frozen fruit is individually flash frozen to preserve the original texture. Texture will still vary slightly, but in a baked good, the difference is negligible. Taste will also vary, so try different brands to find one you like.

Batter Up

• For best results, use what the recipe calls for. Frozen fruit generally works well inside coffee cakes, pound cakes, bundt cakes, streusels, corn muffins, cupcakes or pancakes. These cakes involve the same basic process of combining wet ingredients, combining dry ingredients, mixing the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and folding in the fruit. The simplicity of the baking process means either kind of fruit will yield predictable results.

Keep Your Eye on the Pan

• When substituting frozen fruit for fresh, you can use the same quantity of frozen fruit. Add the fruit directly from the freezer to the batter, tossing the fruit in some flour first. This prevents sogginess and discoloration. If the recipe calls for fresh fruit, you may need to extend the baking time by a few minutes. This is because frozen fruit lowers the temperature of the cake batter.

Shoot For the Top

• Consider using frozen fruit on top of your cake as the main ingredient in sauces, glazes or frosting. You can make a simple sauce with frozen fruit and sugar to pour over warm pound cake. Similarly, you can make a glaze using frozen fruit and powdered sugar. If you want a sweeter, more substantial topping, you can make basic frosting with frozen fruit, butter, confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract.