Cherry Cake (Photos)

Everyone likes cake and everyone likes cherries. OK I know that is not true for all, but at our house it certainly is an accurate statement.

Cherry Cake is an old British tradition, using canned sweet cherries in a light syrup as the fruit component of this easily baked dessert.

The basic cake the wife (MHNBPF) uses is an old family recipe that is mixed by hand - no mixer needed. We always have the ingredients for this dense cake in our pantry and usually have some sort of fruit to suspend in the batter. Yesterday it was canned cherries. The results? Pretty good.

You'll need:



2 cups self rising flour
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 can of sweet cherries in syrup
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Almond slithers, cherry syrup and whipped cream for serving.

Drain cherries. The fruit needs to be somewhat dry and the juice will be reduced for a syrup when serving.



Measure flour



Add oil, sugar, eggs, almond extract, and vanilla.



and mix by hand



Oil and dust a 9 X 9 pan with flour or sugar.



Add batter and cherries. The dryer they are, the less they will sink into the batter as the cake cooks. Some will dust them in flour to make them suspend in the batter as it cooks. Since these are still pretty damp, they will sink to the bottom.



Into a 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes, until a pick inserted into the cake comes out clean. If you use a dark pan, decrease heat by 25 degrees.



Rest the baked cake on a rack for 10 minutes and run a knife around the edges before attempting to remove the cake from the pan.



Remember the juice from the canned fruit? Add 1/4 of a cup of sugar and reduce it over heat until it thickens into a syrup. This will be served over the cake.



Plated cake with almond slithers, cherry syrup and whipped cream



Fork view



Almost gone



Late night second helping without toppings.



Nice weekend treat

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