i love cherries
i love how they look
and i love
how they taste
and usually this time of year
i am canning jam
but
i don't feel like bowing over a hot stove
instead
i am baking cake
a cake that is a bit hearty, rather than delicate
that tastes as if it came from the old world
as if it were made by my grandmother
who pulled from the larder
a little bit of this
and a little bit of that
for a summer treat
to please
her welcomed guests
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 Tbs cherry herring liqueur (optional)
about a pound of pitted cherries--halved
1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup almond meal
4 Tbs corn meal
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup unsalted butter--room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs--room temperature
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup sour cream-room temperature
spray or butter an 8" round cake pan. i like to use one that is 3" high. in a saucepan, place the sugar and cook over low heat until it is caramel in color. you will have to be careful, only stir to make sure the sugar melts evenly. once the sugar is liquid and caramel in color, remove from heat and drop in the butter and the cherry herring. stir until butter is melted completely. pour into the bottom of the cake pan. place the cherries cut side down in concentric circles to line the bottom of the pan.
whisk the flour, almond meal, corn meal, baking powder and salt in a bowl. in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the 1 cup butter with the granulated and brown sugars until light and fluffy. beat in the eggs, one at a time, stopping to scrape down sides. beat until the mixture looks like buttercream frosting. add the almond and vanilla extracts. put the beater on low and alternately add the dry ingredients with the sour cream--beginning and ending with dry ingredients. pour on top of sugar/cherry layer. bake on a sheet pan in a 350 oven until a cake tester comes out clean. it should take about 50 minutes.
or..if you are feeling a bit delicate
you can make little cakies
scoop the batter into small tartlet pans
pop a pitted cherry on top
and pour the caramel sauce on top
bake for about 15 minutes
serve upside down
