Cherry Cornmeal Snacking Cake
Sour cherry season is short and precious. Once picked, they don’t keep particularly well so they tend to be hard to find, and expensive. They have soft skin, nice tart flavor, and are super juicy which makes them one of my very favorite fruits to bake with. I try my best every year to go and pick myself a few (15) pounds to enjoy throughout the year. This year, the farm I go to had an exceptionally good crop and it only took about 30 minutes to fill a big ol bucket of cherries.
I like to pit them all as soon as I can, freeze them in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet, transfer the frozen cherries to freezer bags, and store until the mood strikes to make preserves or cake or pie.
Sour cherries are bright red and softer than the sweet cherries you find at the market so you can easily pit them with your hands.
To save the season, I made a batch of cherry preserves to enjoy, and here’s a little secret: making jam isn’t hard! It takes some time and effort but you basically just cook fruit and sugar together until it’s thickened. I don’t usually can my jam for long term storage, but it will last for a few weeks/months in the fridge. I’ve included my cherry jam recipe below.
Summer always makes me crave cornmeal cake. I think it’s because cornmeal is so delicious with summer stone fruit and berries. The buttermilk in this cake also adds a bit of tang and tenderness. I used the reverse creaming method to mix this cake which takes a bit more effort than my standard snacking cake, but the result is an exceptionally soft and tender cake with a fine crumb. The small amount of oil helps keep the cake moist without sacrificing the buttery flavor that a corn cake wants.
To reverse cream, you first mix the dry ingredients, then add the butter, and then the liquid ingredients go in last. At first it feels backwards, but once you try the results, you will be a believer too! The batter will be smooth, fluffy and thick, perfect for adding a bit of jam or preserves swirled throughout. I couldn't resist adding an additional dollop on top of each slice for good measure.
You definitely don’t need to make your own cherry jam for this cake. Feel free to use whatever type you have in your fridge, something sweet and tart like apricot, raspberry, or even marmalade would all work well. If you’re not into jam, you can top the cake with fresh fruit. It will sink into the batter a bit so save a few berries or slices to serve with the cake.
Paid subscribers have access to both the cake and preserve recipe below, along with a few ways to use up the rest of your preserves if you need some inspiration.
