Summer Cherry Cake

Annacia's Note:

This delicious summer cake is a hybrid cross between a classic French clafouti and a coffeecake. It has a very moist, dense crumb due to the butter and eggs and low flour ratio. It is a perfect afternoon dessert to serve with tea as well as a brunch or dinner dessert, especially as it can be made a day ahead of time.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 1 hrs
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 3 cups cherries, pitted (red or Queen Ann or a mixture)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 -5 tablespoons kirsch (you can use cherry juice) or 3 -5 tablespoons cherry flavored liqueur (you can use cherry juice)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 lemon, zest of (optional)
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup unbleached white flour
• powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease and dust with flour a 9-inch cake pan or tarte pan with removable bottom.
3. Shake off any additional flour.
4. Pit the cherries, then blend in a bowl with lemon juice and cherry brandy (or juice) and let stand at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Cream the butter and sugar, lemon peel, nutmeg and vanilla until fluffy, then beat in eggs, one at a time.
6. Add flour.
7. Pour into pan and spread batter evenly.
8. Lift cherries from juices with a slotted spoon and distribute over batter, rounded sides up.
9. Drizzle cherry juices over fruit.
10. Bake until cake around fruit springs back firmly when lightly touched, about 30 minutes.
11. Let cool, then serve slightly warm or at room temperature, sprinkling with powdered sugar before serving if you wish.
12. Cake is best served 1- 2 days after baking as the flavor mellows and intensifies.
13. This cake freezes well.

Reviews

[swissms]

We really enjoyed this cherry cake. I used Rainer cherries (which according to a cherry website I checked, can be substituted for Queen Anne Cherries.) I used the cherry juice option to soak the cherries in. I only used about half of the remaining juice to spoon over the cake before baking and it turned out very moist. Delicious! This cake might also be good using some almond extract for part of the vanilla extract. Made for PRMR.