This moist, buttery cake has been one of my favorites! It's studded with peak season cherries and has a wonderfully nutty flavor.
3 1/2 cups cake flour or White Lily All Purpose Flour
1 cup almond meal
1 pound (4 sticks) butter, room temperature
4 cups sugar
1 1/2 packages (12 oz) cream cheese, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon almond extract
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
8 large eggs, room temperature
2 cups fresh cherries, pitted and quartered
Preheat oven to 325°F. Prepare Old Country Kitchenware square tube pan by brushing with pan coat (if using two piece pan, fit with a parchment paper square between the two pieces first). In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and almond meal. Toss cherries in about 1/2 cup flour mixture. Beat butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until pale, light and fluffy (about 6 minutes at medium speed). Add cream cheese, 1/2 cup flour mixture, extracts, salt, and baking powder, beat until combined. Scrape the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl. With the mixer running at low speed, add 1 egg and beat until fully incorporated. Repeat with each egg, beating well after each addition. Beat in remaining flour mixture in two additions. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and beat for another 10 seconds. Fold floured cherries into batter by hand. Pour batter into prepared tube pan and gently shake to settle the batter. Place on middle rack of oven with a baking sheet on the rack below it to catch any drips. Bake 2 hours and 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let cool until the pan is comfortable enough to handle. (If using two-piece pan, place it over a metal can and press down to remove the outer piece first). Transfer the cake to a wire rack in two steps: first, turn the cake up on its side, then invert fully. Let cool completely.
Vanilla Almond Glaze
3 cups powdered sugar
3-5 tablespoons almond milk or whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 cup fresh cherries, cheeks sliced off the pits
1/3 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted
Beat sugar, extracts and 3 tablespoons milk with an electric mixer. Add more liquid a spoonful at a time until you reach the desired consistency. If a thicker icing is desired, add more powdered sugar. If a thinner icing is desired, add more liquid, one spoonful at a time. Slowly pour over cooled cake. Let glaze set up for 15 minutes or until hardened to the touch. Decorate with sliced cherries and slivered almonds.
