cherry-almond tea cake

When cherries show up in the market I celebrate by baking this simple cake, a variation on Marion Burros’ famous plum cake. It requires almost no skill, which is why it appeals to a hack baker like me.

ingredients

1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for greasing pan
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
about 1/4 pound cherries, pitted
1/4 cup sliced almonds

directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan or other cake pan (see note).

In a bowl, beat the butter and 1 cup sugar with a wooden spoon until fluffy. Beat in the flour, baking powder, salt, eggs, and almond extract until smooth. Spread batter in pan. Scatter the cherries over the top of batter, then sprinkle with the sliced almonds and 1 tablespoon sugar.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool on a rack, then slice and serve warm or at room temperature.

note: you can use a round or square 8- or 9-inch cake pan for this and cut it out in slices or squares, but a springform pan lets you unmold the whole cake.