Cherry and almond cake (by Mimi Thorisson)

Usually I don’t construct menus that are too heavily focused on one or two ingredients, but this is the cake i make frequently at the height of cherry season when we’ve often already had something with cherries during the day. Cherries pair wonderfully with almonds, and though you could easily serve this cake with a good vanilla ice cream, i think almond ice cream make it more special. If I may make a suggestion, I’d propose serving this cake at a cherry-themed, midsummer’s night dinner. In the duck dish the cherries are perfumed by the duck and get mixed up in the sauce and potatoes. In the cake they show a completely different side and merge perfectly with the almond flavors.

Ingredients

11 tablespoons / 160 gr unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan

1-1/2 / 180 gr all purpose flour, plus more for the pan

1 cup / 120 gr almond flour

2/3 cup / 130 gr granulated sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of fine sea salt

10 ounces / 300 gr cherries, stemmed and pitted

1/3 cup / 50 gr slivered almonds

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

Almond ice cream for serving (optional)

Method

1- Preheat the oven to 180° C. Butter a 9-inch / 23 cm springform pan and dust with all purpose flour. Tap out the excess flour

2 – In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter, almond flour, and granulated sugar to make a smooth paste. Incorporate the eggs and almond extracts.

3 – In another bowl, sift togheter the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the almond batter. Gently add the cherries, distributing them evenly into the batter with your spatula.

4 – Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes.

5 – Remove the cake from the oven and scatter the almonds and brown sugar on top. Return to the oven and continue to bake until the top is golden and a knife inserted int the center comes out clean, about 10 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes before unmolding alnd cooling completely. Serve with almond ice cream, if desired.