Cherry-Almond Coffee Cake
By kmorganmoss • Jul 4th, 2008 • Category: Desserts •
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When cherry season comes, I can’t get enough of them. Oddly, my immediate family includes a lot of non- cherry lovers. I find this peculiar and difficult and I am left alone to find ways to consume anything and everything made with cherries. Having a chance to make this while I had helpers-meant there would be lots of eaters to join me. I also had my eye on trying a few cakes using my mom’s antique cast iron bundt pan.
When my mom and I made this together one morning, she said, that it was very similiar to a recipe she has been using for years. I insisted on using this recipe and it wasn’t till we had made the cake and tried it that my mom finally compared recipes. Hers called for 3 cups of flour when this recipe called for 2 cups of flour. This confirmed to her that this recipe had a typo and was inferior. I begged to differ and loved the cake.
The recipe yielded a beautiful cake, but it sunk immediately upon leaving the oven, even though it was done. Once it was inverted you could not tell, though it did have a dense look. The second reason that my mom thought it was flawed was that the cake was quite moist. So moist that it reminded us of a bread pudding with a texture similar in ways to a Claufotis.
The consensus was;error or no error in the recipe instructions, we all- minus my mom, loved this cake as it was. Moist, bread pudding like and flavorful. Serve it warm or reheated. The cherries cooked beautifully and most of us had seconds the first go around. That says something as we already had eaten breakfast.
I imagine you could use any fruit but you may want to adjust the flavoring omitting the almond. In fact as it turned out both my mother and sister were out of almond extract. Therefore we upped the vanilla and went without the almond. This was a winner.
Cherry-Almond Coffee Cake
Adapted-Country Home, March/April 1997
3/4 cup chopped almonds
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons homemade baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
3 eggs
1- 8 oz carton dairy sour cream
1 cup fresh or frozen pitted tart red cherries, coarsely chopped
Grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan or grease a 13×9x2 inch baking pan; set aside.
For the filling, stir together the almonds, 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon and set aside.
In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, soda, and salt; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl beat the butter with an electric mixer for 30 seconds on medium to high speed. Add the 1 1/4 cups sugar, vanilla and almond extract, beat until light.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add flour mixture and sour cream alternately, beating at low speed just until combined after each addition. Fold in the cherries.
Sprinkle half of the nut mixture into a prepared pan. Then spread half of the batter on top. Sprinkle with half of the nut mixture again following with the remainder of the batter over the filling.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 55 t0 60 minutes for the bundt pan or 35 t0 40 minutes for the rectangle pan.
Test for doneness by inserting a wooden toothpick and making sure it comes out clean.
For the bundt pan cool or a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and turn streusel side up on a rack to cool.
For a cake pan do not remove. Alternately you can line with parchment paper and gently lift out when cooled, being careful not to break. If using a cake pan, sprinkle the nut mixture on top. You will want to line both the bundt and the cake pan with buttered parchment to prevent sticking and to aid in removing.
Serve warm or at room temperature, sprinkle with sifted confectioners sugar.
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kmorganmoss is the aspiring writer, photographer & passionate cook of ayankeeinasouthernkitchen.com; she is currently blogging and hopes to find her calling.
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Wow! Your pictures are gorgeous. The cakes do look really moist, but also delicious! I love using the bundt for cakes because of the nice browning you get on the outside. Baking with cherries is something I must try!
this cake looks amazing! i love your picture of the cherries, they are so red and beautiful! i love cherry anything!
Great photos — you make that cake look absolutely mouthwatering! Cherries are one of the foods that I love raw, but am not that crazy about when cooked. But I might just have to give this a try.
That was my first thought when I saw the top photo — looks like a bread pudding. Which sounds great to me. I think this will be our Sunday morning breakfast this week as the cherries are abundant here.
Wow, this looks so moist and yummy! Love it!
WELL Even though it sunk it looks delicious! I’m sure it was perfect!
A wonderful cake! Really moist and scrumptious!
Cheers,
Rosa
Steph- The bundt pan made the difference, using a well-seasoned antique one really paid off.
bunny- I’m with on this.
Lydia- Let me know what you think after you give it a try.
Susan- Perfect for breakfast, and you were so right about the bread pudding.
Saucy-Thanks for coming by.
Cathy- The sinking only was only a minor glitch.
Rosa- It really was as moist as the photos show.
the is extraordinary food porn! the moistness and contrasting textures really come through and produce extra saliva in my mouth.
goooood stuff!
This sounds absolutely delicious! Definitely on my list. Re: the ingredients. I assume it’s 1/4 tsp for the almond extract and not 14?
Look how moist this, it looks like an english pudding inside…yum!
I love anything to do with cherries, this looks great!
OMG - this looks so great! I think this is the most perfect combination of ingredients ever! Hope things are going well!
You know I am already digging this: clafoutis, bread pudding and cake all combined into one delicious treat! My husband does not like cherries that much but I have never said no to another cherry recipe!
Mmm. It seems as though everyone’s been posting cherry recipes lately - I’ve been buying cherries, but I keep eating them before I can think of anything to put them in!
Yay cherries! Looks perfect. This reminds me of my grandma’s cherry cake except her was more flat almost like a clafoutis.
i’m the same way, i’ll eat cherries day and night when they are in season but the rest of my family not so much.
I love cherries too and that coffee cake is gorgeous. Your description also adds to my interest in this recipe. If it is similar to Bread Pudding and/or Clafoutis, and looks that great too, it is definitely worth a try!
I’ve been super busy rehearsing (for upcoming concerts at my music festival: http://www.kneisel.org) - but in a quick break I thought I’d take a look, just to see a couple of pictures, at what you’ve been up to. Now I’m going to have to return very soon - that cake looks SO delicious!
That coffee cake looks so good!
what happens if you dont use the bundt for this? is it going to be as good?
Quick question-in the directions you say to layer the almond filling in the bottom of the pan, then the middle. But in the pictures it looks as if you layered it in the middle then on top of the batter? I made it as per directions and it’s great, I was just wondering. Thanks!
Joy- I did not make this without a bundt pan, but think it will turn out just great. In fact when I make it again, I will do so using a cake pan.
Maria- Glad you liked it and it turned out well. You are correct the topping is on the top side. I changed it though as when I turned mine over most of the topping crumbled off and was lost which is why I suggested to do the reverse.
Wow I am loving the way this looks. The picture just makes you think it is right in front of you. I am so adding this to my grocery list to make it asap!
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I think it wasn’t quite done.