*(adapted from Yossy Arefi’s plum almond cake in Snacking Cakes)

makes 9 square

ingredients:

15 cherries – 172 grams
½ cup olive oil
¾ cup sugar + 1 tbsp for topping – I like organic golden cane
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp kosher or sea salt
1 cup Bob’s Red Mill GF 1-1 flour (all-purpose works too)
½ cup almond flour
1 tsp aluminum-free baking powder

instructions:

Step 1: Heat oven to 350ºF. Prep a 9 X 9 baking pan by greasing it with a little olive oil and lining it with parchment so that there is a slight overhang on two sides. Prep cherries by slicing each one all around the centre and twisting the two halves apart. Use your fingers to pry out the pit – it can be a little messy so watch your clothes. Set the de-pitted cherries aside.

Step 2: Add oil, 3/4 cup sugar, and eggs to a large bowl and whisk till pale and foamy – about 1 minute. Add vanilla and salt and whisk to incorporate. Add GF flour, almond flour, and baking soda and whisk till everything is just incorporated.

Step 3: Using a rubber spatula, scrape batter into the pan – it will be quite thick. Once it’s all in the pan, smooth out the top. Dot the cake with the cherry halves, leaving about a ¼ inch space between each piece. You can make neat rows of 6 halves like I did or just place them without any order. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of sugar evenly over the top. Place in the oven for 35 to 45 minutes – my oven takes 45 minutes. It’s done when the cake has risen around the cherries creating little craters and the top is mostly gold brown. Let the cake rest for 15 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool for another 15 minutes.

notes:

The cake can be stored for two days on the counter covered in the pan you baked it in or in a sealed container in the fridge for three days.

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