Do you like cherries? Do you like almond? Do you like cake? If you’ve answered yes to any one of these three questions, you’ll love, love, love this cake! It’s so easy and can be served for breakfast or fancy it up a bit with vanilla ice cream or, my favorite, cherry flavored whipped cream. Oh my! I’m getting hungry just looking at this picture. I’ve used local fresh picked Montmorency cherries, a cherry that is grown commercially for its bright red sour fruit, a perfect accent in the buttery almond flavored cake. Here’s how to get started.
Wash the cherries thoroughly, then pit them with a cherry pitter. This only takes a few minutes and is fun to let the kids do it (if they are like my grand-daughter, a few cherries will find their way into their tummies) . Lay them on a double layer of clean paper towel for 5-10 minutes to absorb any moisture. In the meantime, make the cake:
Upside Down Almond Cherry Cake is one my famous Almond Cake variations. Remember? One recipe and 50 variations? A cake made in one bowl and with only seven ingredients! So easy! So yummy. You’ll need a 9 inch spring form pan that you’ll want to butter the bottom and sides. Then cut a circle of parchment paper to fit the bottom, press it down onto the buttered surface, and do the same for the sides, pressing into the edges. Butter the parchment paper also. Make the batter. To assemble the cake, sprinkle brown sugar on the bottom of the pan, top with the pitted cherries and dabs of butter (you’ll notice my dabs are pretty large..I love how this caramelizes the cherries) and top with spoonfuls of the batter that you then spread evenly over the cherry mixture. Easy peasy. Pop it in the over.
After it cools a bit, take the sides off of the pan, place another cooling rack on top of the cake and turn it over carefully, holding both cooking racks. Remove the top cooling rack, set it aside and peel off the parchment paper. Allow the cake to cool completely. Then sprinkle it with powdered sugar and toss a few more cherries on the top of the cake.
Now it’s time to place the cake on a pretty plate, eat and enjoy. Warning: I bet you can’t eat just one piece! I love this cake for breakfast, it’s not too sweet and I feel healthy because I’m eating fruit…right?
Love and Greetings from the cherry capital of the Midwest, Door County, Wisconsin, where the water is clear, the sky is blue and the orchards are fill with the most beautiful, bounteous cherry trees in the world!
Cherry Almond Upside Down Cake
1 pound fresh Montmorency cherries, pitted. (If you use frozen, be sure they are thawed and drained well.)
1/3 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of butter, cut on cubes
Wash and pit the cherries. Lay them on 2 layers of paper towel to dry.
For the Almond Cake:
Beat in one bowl:
1 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup milk
1 large egg
2 teaspoons Pipka’s Pure Almond Extract
Add:
1 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Mix until incorporated.
Slowly add:
1 stick melted unsalted butter, cooled
Beat just until blended.
Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 inch spring form pan. Cut out parchment paper for the bottom and sides. Butter the parchment paper also. Assemble the cake in this order: cherries, brown sugar and butter
Cover the cherry mixture with spoonfuls of the batter and spread the batter evenly to the edges of the pan. Bake in a 350 oven for 40 minutes or until the top is a light golden brown around the edges.
Cool the cake on a cooling rack. When it is cool enough to handle, place another cooling rack on top of the cake and, holding on to the bottom rack with one hand the top rack with the other, flip the cake over. Release the sides and gently pull off the parchment paper. Cool completely…or serve warm with ice cream of cherry flavored whipped cream ( beat 1/2 pint whipped cream to soft peaks, add 2 tablespoon powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon Pipka’s Cherry Extract. Beat until stiff peaks form).
Notes:
-
You’ll need 2 cooling racks
-
You can substitute fruit of your choice; peaches, plums or frozen cherries
-
Add slivered almonds to the cherry mixture for a little crunch
-
We love frozen Kool Whip as a nice substitute for ice cream
-
Cherry sauce over the ice cream is to die for: cook 2 cups pitted cherries, 1 cup water (or more) and 1/2 cup sugar until the fruit is soft and the liquid is syrupy. Cool. Strain the cherries and store the syrup in the fridge until ready to use.
Cherry Almond Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh Montmorency cherries, pitted. (If you use frozen, be sure they are thawed and drained well.)
- 1/3 cup of brown sugar
- 1/4 cup of butter, cut on cubes
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons Pipka’s Pure Almond Extract
- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 stick melted unsalted butter, cooled
Instructions
- Wash and pit the cherries. Lay them on 2 layers of paper towel to dry.
- Beat in one bowl sugar, milk, eggs and Pipka’s Pure Almond Extract
- Add flour and baking powder; mix until incorporated.
- Slowly add melted butter and beat just until blended.
- Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 inch spring form pan. Cut out parchment paper for the bottom and sides. Butter the parchment paper also. Assemble the cake in this order: cherries, brown sugar and butter.
- Cover the cherry mixture with spoonfuls of the batter and spread the batter evenly to the edges of the pan.
- Bake in a 350 oven for 40 minutes or until the top is a light golden brown around the edges.
- Cool the cake on a cooling rack. When it is cool enough to handle, place another cooling rack on top of the cake and, holding on to the bottom rack with one hand the top rack with the other, flip the cake over. Release the sides and gently pull off the parchment paper.
- Cool completely…or serve warm with ice cream of cherry flavored whipped cream:
- 1/2 pint whipped cream
- 2 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Pipka’s Cherry Extract
- Combine ingredients and beat until stiff peaks form.
- 2 cups pitted cherries
- 1 cup water (or more)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- Cook until the fruit is soft and the liquid is syrupy. Cool. Strain the cherries and store the syrup in the fridge until ready to use.
Notes:
You’ll need 2 cooling racks
You can substitute fruit of your choice; peaches, plums or frozen cherries
Add slivered almonds to the cherry mixture for a little crunch
We love frozen Kool Whip as a nice substitute for ice cream
