This delicious cake is so easy and quick to make. You may question the technique of pouring boiling water over this “cake”; however, trust us when we say it works beautifully. It’s also super versatile; you can use any soft summer fruits here – berries, peaches, apricots or plums – with great results. Frozen or canned cherries are fine, too, although fresh fruit is tops. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream for a perfect finish to this treat.
Serves: 6-8
Difficulty: easy
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50-55 min
Ingredients
1½ lb cherries, fresh, washed and pitted
1 T fresh lemon juice
2 T brown sugar
1½ c all-purpose flour
½ t salt
2 t baking powder
3 T butter, melted (plus more for prepping pan)
2 t vanilla extract
1 t lemon zest
1 c sugar
1 c whole milk
Topping
1 c boiling water
1/3 c sugar
1 T corn starch mixed with 1 T cold water
Additional
Ice cream or whipped cream, as desired
Steps
Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare a baking dish (8” square, or similar) with a tablespoon of melted butter spread evenly inside. Combine fruit (hold a few sugared cherries aside to garnish top), lemon juice and brown sugar, spreading evenly over bottom of baking dish. Combine flour, salt and baking powder. Add butter, vanilla, lemon zest, sugar and milk, and stir well with wooden spoon or spatula. Pour over fruit, spreading gently (it should have thick and thin spots where fruit pokes through). Scatter reserved cherries over the top for garnish. Mix corn starch and a tablespoon of cold water. Into rapidly boiling water, stir sugar and corn starch slurry and whisk until smooth and thickened slightly. Pour over cake. Bake until water is absorbed, center is puffed and golden and fruit is bubbling. Serve immediately with ice cream or whipped cream, as desired.
