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Cherry Cake Recipe

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Cherry Cake Recipe

As soon as sweet cherries are in season, I cannot resist putting some aside to make this Cherry Cake with its lovely polka dot pattern and golden brown crust. This recipe comes from Patricia Well's The Provence Cookbook and it is very similar in looks and taste to a Cherry Clafoutis, only instead of a thin pancake-like batter, the cherries are suspended in a cake batter. This Cherry Cake is wonderful when served warm from the oven, with or without a dollop of whipping cream or creme anglaise.

A common problem when adding any heavy fruit to a cake batter is that it tends to sink to the bottom of the pan during baking. While this in no way affects the flavor of the cake, it does not allow us to appreciate the cherry's full beauty. Lucky for us, Patricia Well's came up with a great idea; instead of adding all the pitted cherries when we mix the cake batter, she tells us to put some aside. Then, about halfway through the baking time, we pull the cake from the oven and quickly place the leftover cherries, that have been cut in half, on top of the partially baked cake. This step, while a little more time consuming, keeps the cherries floating on the top of the cake producing that wonderful polka dot pattern. 

As always, it is important to choose our fruit carefully. Look for cherries that are bright dark red, shiny, plump, and quite firm and make sure there is no browning around the stems. Once we have the cherries, we need to remove the pits. Pitting of cherries is always a tedious job and the task is made easier if you have a cherry pitter. However, if you do not own such a tool, than you need to do it by hand. The easiest way I have found to do this, is to make a small slit in the cherry, with a small sharp knife, from the stem end to the bottom of the cherry. Then, using the tip of the knife or your thumbnail, remove the pit. This process is best done over a bowl so any dripping juice will fall into the bowl and not stain your countertop. 

Other cherry recipes on the site you might try, Cherry Tart, and Cherry Pie. Both use the wonderful sweet yet tangy flavored Bing Cherry. When buying Bing cherries look for plump and shiny fruit with a deep red, almost black, color. They should be firm to the touch with no soft spots, and their stems should still be attached.

 

Cherry Cake: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).  Butter and flour an 9 inch (23 cm) spring form pan and line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.  Set aside.

Rinse, dry, and pit all the cherries.  Take about 1/4 (about 15) of the cherries (to be placed on the top of the cake during baking) and cut them in half.  Leave the remainder of the pitted cherries whole.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar until thick and lemon colored (about 3-5 minutes).  Add the melted butter, milk, vanilla, and lemon zest and beat just until incorporated.  Add the flour mixture and stir just until moistened.  Gently fold in the whole pitted cherries (but not the 15 cherries that you have halved for the top of the cake).   Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with an offset spatula. 

Bake for 15 minutes then remove from oven.   Quickly arrange the remaining cherries, cut side down, on the top of the cake.  Return the cake to the oven and bake for a further 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the cake portion comes out clean.

Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool slightly.

Serve warm or at room temperature with a dollop of softly whipped cream.

Makes 8 - 10 servings.

Source:

Wells, Patricia. The Provence Cookbook. Harper Collins Publishers. New York: 2004.

Cherry Cake:

1 pound (454 grams) fresh cherries, pitted

1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1/3 cup (80 ml) milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Zest of 1 lemon

 
   

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