Author Notes
This cake can easily be made with sweet or sour cherries, but I love to use sour cherries when I can find them (their season is frustratingly short). Sour cherries tend to be soft, so I usually just pit them with my hands. Sweet cherries tend to hold onto their pits a bit more fiercely, so I would suggest picking up a real-deal cherry pitter for that task. —Yossy Arefi
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Ingredients
- For the streusel:
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1/4 cup
sliced almonds
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1/4 cup
light brown sugar
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10 tablespoons
all-purpose flour
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1 pinch
salt
-
1/8 teaspoon
baking soda
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6 tablespoons
unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- For the cake and cherry filling:
-
1 cup
all-purpose flour
-
1 teaspoon
baking soda
-
1/4 teaspoon
baking powder
-
1/2 teaspoon
salt
-
6 tablespoons
unsalted butter, softened
-
1/2 cup
granulated sugar
-
2
large eggs
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2/3 cup
sour cream
-
1/2 teaspoon
almond extract
-
1/2 teaspoon
lemon zest
-
1 1/2 cups
pitted cherries (sour or sweet)
-
1 tablespoon
all-purpose flour
-
1 tablespoon
granulated sugar (sweet cherries may not need additional sugar)
Directions
- For the streusel:
-
Gently stir the almonds, sugar, flour, salt, and baking soda together in a medium-sized bowl. Add in the butter and mix to combine. Set aside while you prepare the cake.
- For the cake and cherry filling:
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Preheat oven to 325° F and grease and flour a 9-inch cake pan. A springform pan works great for this, but is not necessary.
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Toss the pitted cherries with 1 tablespoon flour and sugar, if using. Set aside while you prepare the rest of the cake.
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In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together for 5 minutes or until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing for 30 seconds after each addition. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
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Add in the sour cream, lemon zest, and almond extract. Then fold in the flour mixture, gently, until just combined.
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Pour half of the cake batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Scatter the prepared cherries over the top, then gently spread the rest of the batter over the cherries. It's okay if they aren't completely covered, just make sure the batter is evenly distributed over the top. Break up the prepared streusel with your hands and evenly distribute it over the top.
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Bake the cake until it's golden brown and a tester comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes.
Yossy Arefi is a photographer and stylist with a passion for food. During her stint working in restaurant kitchens, Yossy started the blog Apt. 2B Baking Co. where, with her trusty Pentax film camera, she photographs and writes about seasonal desserts and preserves. She currently lives in Brooklyn but will always love her native city of Seattle. Follow her work at apt2bbakingco.blogspot.com & yossyarefi.com.
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