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More than a decade ago, a friend and I took a bicycle trip around southern France. It was a once-in-a-lifetime trip for me, and the images from the long days in the bicycle’s saddle remain vivid in my mind.

My friend was a sommelier, so her grand interest was in the region’s wines. Mine, of course, was in the food. Our stop in the picturesque village of Beaumes-de-Venise was a revelation for both of us. Neither she nor I had sampled the village’s famous sweet, fortified wine by the same name. Stopping by a café to enjoy a glass, we saw an interesting cake on the menu also called Beaumes-de-Venise and decided to try that as well. It was love at first bite for me.

I’m fond of this cake because it’s not terribly sweet, and its grape-studded rusticity is always surprising. I like it for dessert as well as with morning coffee and, since it keeps well, I usually get to have it both ways. Sometimes I serve it with a little whipped cream, but that’s sort of gilding the lily.

Beaumes-de-Venise, the wine, is made with tiny Muscat grapes. Beaumes-de-Venise, the cake, calls for its namesake wine, but when I make it, I use a less expensive Moscato. Both ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Angel Winery in Willcox and Kokopelli Winery in Tempe make excellent Moscatos that are perfect in the cake.

Here in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, where both the grape-growing and wine industries are booming, I make the cake with green seedless Thompson or red seedless grapes. I prefer to prepare it with Thompsons, because I can buy one kind of grape and use the haul for two things – the cake, and to make raisins.

Raisin-making is simplicity itself. It takes time but virtually no effort, and the homemade raisins – they’ll be golden if you use green grapes, brown if you use red ones – are plumper, softer and have more flavor than store-bought ones. A jar or two of homemade raisins in the pantry means your granola, muffins, cookies and other raisin-enhanced dishes will be better than ever. If you’re like me, you’ll find yourself reaching into that jar for quick snacks, too. Figure that each pound of grapes will give you about one 16-ounce jar of raisins.

You’ll get the best results if you blanch the grapes – called “checking� – which softens their skin and helps them dry more evenly. Then, use a dehydrator set to 135 degrees to dry for 24 to 48 hours. Check them every six to eight hours.

Or dry them in your oven. Pat the blanched grapes dry and spread them in a single layer on lightly greased baking sheets, or line the sheets with parchment paper. Set your oven to its lowest setting, and prop the door open with a wooden spoon after putting the grapes inside. Dry for 18 to 24 hours, turning the grapes and rotating the baking sheets once or twice, until the grapes are shrunken and leathery. Allow them to cool fully before tumbling them into glass jars for storage.

This slightly adapted old Bon Appétit recipe, first printed in 1999, is the one I’ve found is closest to the Beames-de-Venise cake I tasted in France. Substitute other seasonal fruit if you wish – chopped apples and pears make a superb cake; apricots, plums or peaches will give you something entirely different but equally delicious.

I love that my ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥-grown grapes take me back to France and that marvelous trip – one food that allows me to be in two places at once.

Beaumes-de-Venise cake

Makes a 10-inch springform cake, about 10 servings.

The wine and the olive oil in this rustic showstopper cake help it keep well. It will stay fresh on the counter, covered, for up to three days.

Ingredients

Olive oil

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon each: baking powder, salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon each: grated lemon peel, grated orange peel

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup Beaumes-de-Venise or Moscato wine

1 1/2 cups green or red seedless grapes

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Brush a 10-inch-diameter springform pan with olive oil. Line bottom of pan with parchment; brush parchment with olive oil.

Sift flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda into a large bowl. Whisk 3/4 cup sugar, 6 tablespoons butter and 3 tablespoons oil in large bowl until smooth.

Whisk in eggs, both peels and vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with wine in 3 additions each, whisking just until smooth after each addition.

Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top. Sprinkle 1 cup grapes over batter.

Bake cake for 10 minutes; scatter remaining grapes over the top of the cake (this ensures the grapes don’t all sink to the bottom of the cake).

Bake cake until top is set, about 20 minutes. Dot top of cake with remaining 2 tablespoons butter; sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar over the top of the cake.

Continue to bake until golden and a tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes longer.

Cool in the pan on a rack 20 minutes. Release pan sides. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.