Sunken Cherry Almond Cake
Much like their vegetarian or vegan counterparts, I think that “gluten-free” foods sometimes get this unfair reputation for being bland, sub-standard substitutes for the “real thing” of animal foods or foods that have gluten.
It doesn’t have to be or be seen that way.
Coming from a girl who does eat meat/animal products, and gluten, I still have had/made foods that are vegetarian, or gluten free that I enjoyed to the point where I wasn’t missing the ingredients at all. It’s a different, but not at all substandard taste/way of eating. You just have to have the right recipe and know which ingredients work the best in them.
Almond flour is a really underrated and I think an underrused ingredient in general when it comes to baking. It has an undoubtedly coarser texture than regular all purpose flour, but that coarser texture as well as the overall flavor from the almonds itself also lends itself well to a pleasantly different taste and flavor in a finished baked good that just can’t be duplicated anywhere else.
I’ve used it several times over the years in some of my own baking, to some truly delicious results that are well worth checking out:
Today, I’m back with another almond flour recipe that differs from the others that I’ve tried before in that it truly is completely gluten free, relying on just the almond flour to carry and give the overall structure to the final product. It also combines almond flour with another one of my favorite ingredients: sour cherries.
Sour cherries are one of those rare ingredients that I don’t get to bake with as nearly as much as I would prefer to. I don’t know if it’s because of the part of the country I’m in or just an overall shortage in general, but even when they’re in season, I have trouble either tracking them down and/or finding them at a reasonable price, whether fresh or canned. Which is a shame, because sour cherries are the superios cherries, in my opinion. Regular cherries are great but they can be very sweet, and in baked goods that sweetness can be cloying/excessive. Sour cherries’ tartness balances out the sugar in just about any dessert and pairs well (and I think, better) with various flavors.
I got really lucky a little while ago when I came across some sour cherries in a nearby grocery store that were canned/preserved in water, and also wouldn’t cost me an arm and a leg. I of course couldn’t pass up the opportunity to nab some, but I also wanted to try and find unique use(s) for them that was more than just a standard cherry pie (as delicious as those are.)
This was one of the uses I ‘found’/tried.
Almond flour, egg whites and baking powder form the basic structure of this completely gluten free cake. The almond flour gives it a close and somewhat dense texture and almond-y flavor while the egg whites and corn starch helps make it still taste light. Vanilla, lemon and almond all flavor the cake itself, boosted with the addition of raw sour cherries that give it bright pops of tartness that pair perfectly with the almond. It was also easy and quick to put together.
You really will not miss the regular flour in this cake. We certainly didn’t.
Sunken Cherry Almond Cake
Recipe Adapted from King Arthur Flour
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond flour
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon table salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (plus more for greasing the pan)
- 1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons white granulated sugar, divided
- zest of a lemon
- 4 large eggs, separated
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 3/4 cup to 1 cup sour cherries, sliced in halves
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Lightly grease an 8″ round cake pan or line with a parchment round. Grease the parchment and sides of the pan to ensure the cake releases easily.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.
In another medium bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the butter, 1/2 cup of the sugar, and the lemon zest until fluffy and well combined, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the egg yolks and extracts and beat until well combined, about 30 seconds.
Add the almond flour mixture to butter mixture and beat until just combined.
In a clean bowl with clean beaters, beat the egg whites and the remaining 2 tablespoons (25g) sugar to soft peaks, about 3 minutes.
Mix about 1/2 cup of the beaten egg whites into the almond flour mixture to loosen it. Then gently fold the remaining egg whites into the almond flour mixture, being careful not to deflate the egg whites (some lingering streaks are OK).
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Place the cherries on top of the batter, spacing them evenly around the outer 3″ of the pan. (There’s no need to push the cherries into the batter; they’ll sink as the cake bakes.)
Bake the cake for about 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick or thin knife inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached (rather than batter).
Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully flip the cake out of the pan, invert it onto a rack so that itās right-side up, and let it cool completely.
Sharing at Fiesta Friday #592.
Sounds yummy. So does it actually say “Sour cherries” on the label of sour cherries? I’ve never noticed cooking cherries stating sweet or sour.
Sometimes they’re called ‘sour’ cherries, sometimes they’re called ‘tart’. Thank you š
This looks amazing. I love cherries and this looks like something I would love to give a try.
Thank you Ben-I hope you enjoy š
Thank you Ben! Please do give it a try, it couldn’t be easier. Enjoy š
Looks delicious!
Thank you Dorothy–it was!