Buttermilk Cherry~Vanilla Bundt Cake

Happy Father's Day!  A day set aside to honor fathers and celebrate fatherhood and the paternal bonds that have influence society.  Coincidentally, the day was founded in Spokane, Washington at the YMCA in 1910 by Sonora Smart Dodd to honor her father, a single parent and Civil War veteran who raised six children.  She had originally suggested June 5th, which was her dad's birthday, but because the pastors in the area needed more time to prepare sermons, they decided on the 3rd Sunday instead.  It was introduced to Congress in 1913, but it wasn't until Woodrow Wilson came to Spokane in 1916 was it made official.

My husband has been a great father to our two daughters.  He's been protective, supportive, strong, loving, hard-working, but always taking the time to make sure they knew he was there for them.  A story I'd like to share is from when we lived in California.  The girls (age 12 and 10) wanted to walk to the 7-11 and buy a Slurpee.  After a long debate--the pros and cons, they convinced him that they would be very careful crossing the road and come back right after their purchase.  The girls took off walking down the hill and then to the cross street where the 7-11 was.  They came back with their purchase and big smiles.  However, it wasn't until they were adults that their dad admitted he had watched the entire journey with binoculars from the upstairs window!

The inspiration of this cake comes from The First Lady, Michelle Obama's new cookbook, American Gown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America, Buttermilk Blueberry Bundt.

We've had very cool weather and unfortunately our blueberries are a few more weeks away, but our cherries are certainly in our Farmer's Markets and along with some of my fragrant Tahitian Vanilla Beans, this cake took on a different look and taste.

Buttermilk Cherry~Vanilla Bundt Cake
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 Vanilla Beans, split and scraped
4 large eggs
2 tsp. Vanilla extract
1 2/3 cup King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk

2 cups sweet cherries, pitted and chopped
1 1/2 cups Biscoff cookies (or Vanilla wafers) crushed  (optional)

Pit and chopped sweet cherries.

Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with a non-stick baking spray.
In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the softened butter until fluffy.  Add the sugar and continue beating for 5 to 6 minutes on medium speed.  Scrape down the sides.  Add the vanilla beans "paste" and mix to combine.  Add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Beat in the vanilla extract.

Whisk the dry ingredients together and add alternately with the buttermilk.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat on medium/high one more minute.

Fold the chopped cherries into the batter.

Use a rolling pin to smash about a dozen or more cookies in a plastic bag.   Spoon the cake batter into the prepared Bundt pan and sprinkle the crushed cookies on top of the cake. Bake in preheated oven 50 to 55 minutes.

Use a wooden skewer poked into the center to test if the cake is done.  Allow to cool in the pan about 20 minutes before tuning out onto a serving plate.  I wanted the crumb topping upright, so I covered a baking sheet with parchment and turn the cake out, then flipped it over and placed in on the serving plate.  Dust with confectioners' sugar to finish it off.

To serve, I ladled a warm Vanilla Sauce around the slice.


Vanilla Sauce
1 cup granulated sugar
2 T cornstarch
2 cups boiling water
In a small saucepan, whisk the sugar and cornstarch, then, slowly add the boiling water while continuing to whisk.
Heat on medium until the mixture is thick and bubbly, stirring constantly.  Remove from the heat and add:
4 T unsalted butter, cut into cubes
2 tsp. Vanilla extract
1 Vanilla bean, split and scraped
Stir to blend.  Ladle or pour this sauce on the plate and add the slice of cake on top.

My hubby arrived home today from a business trip and I know this cake will put a smile on his face...just like our girls had when they thought they had walked down to the 7-11.  Enjoy!

  


 

Life is a Bowl of Cherries Pound Cake

"Life is a Bowl of Cherries" is a phrase I've heard since I was little.  After some research, I discovered the phrase came out during the depression, something my parents grew up in, and came to signify how you could look at life.  Of all the songs that have this phrase in it, I have chosen the one by Doris Day, who is one of my favorite singer/actresses for you to listen to.  (Admittedly, I have watched "The Man Who Knew Too Much" about a million times and never tire of her or Jimmy Stewart...my favorite actor.)

When I was in the market yesterday, I saw, what I relate to as Spring is here in the Pacific Northwest--CHERRIES!  Oh, we've have daffodils bloom in early March, deciduous trees have their leaves, and I hear the geese on our pond, nesting, but it's the sight of this gorgeous red fruit that lets me know we can finally say goodbye to Winter.

It will be a few more weeks before the crops are abundant enough to lower prices (for jams and freezing) but I couldn't help myself with creating one of my favorite desserts...Pound Cake.  I added in some bittersweet chocolate chips for all of you who especially, like my friend Addie, loves Black Forest Cake.  They're optional, but I think you will enjoy the combination.  I also added in the vanilla paste from two whole beans and some orange zest.  Thanks to my daughter Erin, I have a new gadget she gave me for Mother's Day to zest with that I couldn't wait to try.

Erin & Maddie on Mother's Day!

This fruit, this phrase, and even this song, is my view on life and what I make of it.  It's been a sad year after losing Kelly, but to let that loss change my whole attitude would be a disservice to her memory.  I've had so many people, over the last few days remind me of her incredible big heart and loving ways, and the fact that her last words were, "I'm Happy," will enforce my outlook on what I need to accomplish and yes, with a smile on my face.

Life is a Bowl of Cherries Pound Cake
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar ( I use Baker's Sugar which is superfine)
6 large eggs
2 Vanilla Beans, split and scraped
1/2 tsp. Almond extract
1/2 tsp. Washington Cherry Flavoring
zest of 1 orange
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
3 cups King Arthur All-purpose Flour
1 cup sour cream (not light)
1 1/2 cups chopped cherries (measure after chopping)
1 cup Bittersweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup Toasted pecans (optional)


Preheat oven to 325F-degrees.  Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with a non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream butter until light and fluffy.  Add the sugar, 1 cup at time, beating well to incorporate after each addition.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Mix in the vanilla bean paste, almond extract, cherry flavoring, and zest.

a new little zester from Erin that captures the zest perfectly!

Beat well.  Add the dry ingredients, alternating them with the sour cream.  Beat for 1 minute to thoroughly combine.  

Fold in the chopped cherries, bittersweet chips, and nuts, if using.  Spoon batter, evenly into the prepared Bundt pan.

Bake in the slow oven for  75 minutes or until a toothpick, poked in the center of the cake, comes out cleanly.  Let cool about 7-10 minutes in the pan, then invert onto a serving dish.

Glaze: I mixed up 1 cup of confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon light Karo syrup, and 2-3 tablespoons of very hot water.  Pour over the cake. 
You can also, just sprinkle with confectioners' sugar or mix up a Chocolate Glaze: 1/2 cup heavy cream, heated just until it boils, then, pour over 3/4 cups bittersweet chocolate.

As humans, we have choices--glass half full or glass half empty.  In "Life is a Bowl of Cherries" you could look at it sarcastically, as some did during the depression, or joyfully when you experience a win fall.  Cherish the everyday events of your life that make it a bowl full of cherries.  It's these memories that make me happy. Enjoy!


 

Spiced Cherry Tea Cake

I started baking very early this morning...temperatures threatening to hit the 90s and even I won't turn on the oven to heat up a non-air conditioned house!  I was still thinking how my mother would "stretch" ingredients (Ham & Egg Pie) and remembered I had some left over cherries that I didn't use in the pie I made for the 4th of July.  I wasn't quite sure what to bake, but I let the cherries do the talking!!

They said, "We like spices to enhance our flavor," so I thought about my favorites and blended cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and cardamon, of course.  I pitted the cherries, then, coarsely chopped them, and found I had one-and-half cups.  Perfect.

Whenever I bake something with fruit, I have a great tip to pass along.  Add some dried fruit to help balance the juices that will be extracted during baking, from the fresh fruit.  For instance, today I added 1/2 cup dried cherries to 1 1/2 cups of fresh cherries.  It seems to act as a stabilizer for the recipe.  I especially like this trick when I make blueberry muffins that can have a tendency to fall apart because they're too moist.

Spiced Cherry Tea Cake

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. ginger
3/4 tsp. cardamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2/3 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups cherries, pitted and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dried sour cherries

1/2 cup-3/4 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven 350F-degrees.  Use a non-stick spray to prepare pans.  I used a paper tube pan since I was giving one as a gift, but you could easily bake this in a 9" x 5" loaf pan or 10-cup bundt pan.  In the KitchenAid, using the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugar until thick and lemony.

 Add the spices and mix well.  Pour the melted butter into the batter and combine.  In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and baking soda.  Add to the batter along with the sour cream and mix well, but don't over beat.  Fold in the cherries (fresh and dried) and pour into the prepared pan.

Sprinkle top with the sliced almonds.  If using the paper mold, place on a baking sheet and place in the oven.  Bake 40 to 45 minutes.  Check after 30 minutes.  I ended up lowering the oven temperature to 325F-degrees to finish the time so the top wouldn't get too dark.  Let cool in pan at least 30 minutes before unmolding.  And, if you're wrapping it up as a gift, let cool completely.

As you can tell, it rose beautifully and the almonds have that golden, toasted look.  The aroma of the spices filled the kitchen and I thought I felt a cool breeze outside.  Enjoy!