This picture is just to show the cake. Please don't cut your slices this large - you will have trouble finishing them!
This is a recipe I have been thinking about for the last year, because of my love of a certain kind of chocolate candy, the dark chocolate covered cherry. I have a couple of variations in mind which I will be trying over the next several weeks and reporting the results back here.
So here is my first experiment. I baked all of the batter as one cake yesterday, but it was so decadent and rich that it should only be made as two thin cakes instead. I was also unable to get the cherries I wanted at my local grocery store, so I used dried tart cherries and they were definitely not the ticket. The recipe posted here is the way I baked it last night, but feel free to divide the batter over two 8" springform pans and bake it at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes instead.
For the best cherry to cake flavor use dark sweet cherries like these, or Trader Joe's Morello Cherries in Light Syrup. You could also use dried dark sweet cherries if you can find them. I have bought dried dark sweet cherries at our local gourmet grocery, they were delicious but were in the double digits per pound price. For a special occasion though I think they would be worth it.
We were very happy to have our traveler return yesterday after an amazing gallivant on the other side of the country. Many thanks to his tour guides, J. & L.! There will be baking again today, a certain wonderful lemon buttermilk cake from the dessert goddess Maida. I think we will be putting seven minute frosting on it. All of Maida's dessert books are amazing and I highly recommend getting a few for your cookbook shelf.
I hope you all are enjoying spring break out there!
Note: The new and improved version of this Almond Cake can be found here.
Butter & Almond Cherry Cake with Chocolate Glaze
yield: 1 - 8" cake
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted over low heat, cooled to room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 - 8 ounce can Almond Paste
2 Eggs, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract or Kirsch
3/4 cup All Purpose Flour
1 generous cup dark sweet Cherries in light syrup, drained
Additional softened butter & graham cracker crumbs for preparing the baking pan.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
Butter the 8" springform pan generously and line with a parchment paper circle. Butter the parchment and dust the bottom and sides of the pan with graham cracker crumbs.
Put the almond paste and sugar in a food processor and process until the almond paste is cut into very fine crumbs. Add the eggs one by one, running the processor on low speed between the addition of each egg. With the motor running, add the melted butter in a slow stream. Add the flour 1/4 cup at a time, pulsing after each addition. Make sure the flour is completely incorporated into the batter before the next step (this is where the recipe gets fussy). Scrape the batter out of the food processor into another bowl. Add the drained cherries and gently fold into the batter.
Scrape the batter into the prepared springform pan and smooth into an even layer.
Place the cake pan on the middle rack in the preheated oven. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. The cake is done when a toothpick test has a slight crumb clinging to it. Open the springform and allow the cake to cool for about 10 minutes. Once the cake is cool, carefully remove from the pan by placing your serving plate on top and flipping the cake over so that the bottom of the cake is on top. Peel off the parchment paper.
Chocolate Glaze
1/2 cup Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips (best quality)
4 Tablespoons Heavy Cream, room temperature
Combine the chips and heavy cream in a small saucepan. Set the saucepan over simmering water (without touching the water) and melt while stirring with a whisk. Once completely melted and whisked together the chocolate will be glossy and have a lot of body.
Using a table knife or palette knife, spread the glaze into an even layer on just the top of the cake (do not spread on the sides).
The cake tastes best served at room temperature. Cut into small slices (you should be able to get 16 servings).
Enjoy! (P.S. This cake would be very nice with tea or coffee)
For another recipe to serve with tea and coffee click here.
