Summer Cherry Cake

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr 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 flour
• powdered sugar

Recipe

• 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.