Luscious little, colorful orbs bursting with complex flavor, cherries are a versatile fruit in both sweet and savory dishes. Perfectly capable of shining all on their own, they can also stand up to a myriad of flavors. This easy-to-make, rustic dish is a classical pairing of Kirsch-kissed cherries with an almond topping, baked to crispy perfection.
To our delight, our cherry tree was bursting with fruit this year. After pitting all of the cherries (not a task I always relish), I reserved some for jam, some for this baking and froze the rest. Ahh, life is good!
After coating the pitted cherries with sugar and Kirch, I move on to the topping. The almond paste is mixed with the brown sugar until crumbly. With my love of everything marzipan, it took every bit of discipline I could muster not to devour the entire bowl. After the egg, flavoring extracts and almond flour are mixed in, the batter is spooned over the cherries.
Pop it in the oven and bake until golden brown.
Tender cherries, full of an earthy sweetness and subtle tart flavor pair perfectly with the crisp, buttery almond crust. Adding a bit of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream makes it sublime. Enjoy!
| Servings |
| 6 - 8servings |
| Cook Time |
| 40 - 45minutes |
|
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- 6cups (1 kg) sweet cherriespitted *
- 2 Tbs granulated sugar
- 1 - 2Tbs kirsch
- 1cup (110 g) almond flour
- 1 1/2tsp baking powder
- 1/2tsp saltkosher, sea or Himalayan pink
- 7oz (200 g) almond paste
- 2 - 3Tbs brown sugar
- 1/2cup (113 g) butter unsalted
- 1large (62 g) eggroom temperature
- 1/2tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/8tsp Fiori di Siciliaoptional *
- 1/2cup (125 ml) whole milk
- Preheat oven to 350 °F (175 °C).
- Sprinkle the sugar and kirsch over the pitted cherries, gently mixing until thoroughly coated. Set aside.
- Whisk together the almond flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the almond paste and brown sugar on medium-low speed until thoroughly mixed and the size of small pebbles.
- On medium speed, beat in the butter until incorporated. Add the egg, vanilla extract and Fiori di Sicilia (if using), beating on medium speed until combined. On low speed, mix in half the almond flour, then mix in the milk and finally the remaining flour, mixing just until combined. Do not over mix.
- Place the cherries and any liquid in a single layer on the bottom of a shallow 2 quart (2 liter) baking dish. Spread the batter evenly over the top of the cherries.
- Bake on the middle rack of the preheated oven for 40 - 45 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and a toothpick stuck into the center comes out clean.
- Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream. Will keep in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for 2 - 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
* Substitutions - berries and/ or sliced and pitted stone fruits such as apricots or plums can be substituted for the cherries.
* Almond Paste - this recipe calls for almond paste, not marzipan, which generally has a much higher percentage of sugar. We normally use the Love'n Bake brand from King Arthur Flour. Check the ingredients, as some brands add binders and other ingredients that are not needed.
* Fiori di Sicilia (flowers of Sicily) - an intensely fragrant floral citrus and vanilla extract used to flavor almond fillings, marzipan, sweet dishes, cakes and cookies. A little goes a long way, so we recommend only using 1/8 teaspoon. It can be purchased at King Arthur Flour or My Spice Sage or Amazon.
Adapted from a recipe by David Lebovitz