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Cherry agave layer cake


I try to bake fairly easy cakes while on vacation, because you know, I’m on vacation. But I try to have fun or learn a new way to use fresh fruits or local ingredients from the market.  

Pound cake is fun because you can eat it for breakfast or snack time, and it's also good for layering cakes to your fancy.  This time with cherries since they were so plump, sweet and juicy this season.

I found this old southwest cookbook while perusing the thrift shops, a favorite hobby, and tried this recipe for a pound cake that was delicious and not too dense. I'm the worst when it comes to following recipes, I added buttermilk for creaminess (who wants a dry cake?) and baking powder for a bit of rising, then decorated with seasonal fruits and some light homemade whipping cream.

Batter recipe :
1-3/4 cup butter
2-1/2 cups sugar
6 eggs
3 cups flour
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder

Cherry filling : 1 pound unpitted and halved cherries, 1/4 cup agave syrup, 2 teaspoons lemon juice or kirsch. Put ingredients in a pan and simmer on medium heat for about 4/5 minutes, so the cherries keep their form.  Set aside to cool.

Cream cheese frosting : 1 cup whipping cream, 4 oz softened cream cheese, 1/2 cup confectionners sugar.  Whip cream in a bowl for about 2 minutes or until soft peaks form.  Sift in confectionners sugar adn beat for another minute.  Make sure cream cheese is softened (about 20 seconds in microwave), and once room temperature, beat into whipped cream until stiff peaks form.

Preheat oven to 325° F / 170° C .  Line with wax or parchment paper 2 round baking pans or 2 loaf pans or a crown or bundt pan.  I was able to make 2 versions with this amount of batter : one with 2 disks and another with a crown mold.

Cream butter and sugar in a bowl, add buttermilk.  Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla, and beat 2 minutes.  Fold in flour and baking powder and mix well.  Pour batter into pans, and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the center is cooked, test with a pick that should come out clean.  Remove parchment paper, place cakes on a cooling rack until cakes are at room temperature. 

Simmer cherries about 4-5 minutes or until softened but firm at the same time.
This is the crown version, brush off crumbs before decorating.

Brush with cherry juice from the filling

With the crown version, no layers involved as described in the recipe below, just cake and a layer of cherries; then cream on top, decorated with more cherries and chocolate or candies on top.

For layer cake : place a disk of cake on a serving dish face down.  Brush the cake top with the juice from the cherry filling.  Add halved cherries, then spread a layer of cream with a spatula on top.  Place another cake disk on top, then pipe or layer with cream and decorate with cherries and bonbons or candies or some edible flower petals.  

On a side note, I found this square ceramic plate at a thrift shop too, and drinks were a watermelon juice (yes, made some) mixed with some coconut juice and seltzer water / or sometimes with a splash of vodka, because I'm no angel.

Enjoy, everyone !


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