Plump cherries, sitting in my fridge, ever so slightly past their prime.  What, oh what, am I to do with you?

I shall bake a cake!  I said to myself, grabbing my spoons and whisks and bowls.  The most delicious cake in all the land, filled with fruit and spices and the goodness of some whole wheat flour.  And I shall take some pictures, and share this cake will all my friends (while eating the lot of it all by myself, oh hohohoho!)

I was so excited to do this post.  I’d done some research, decided how I wanted the cake to look and smell, and hopefully taste.  The whole time I was mixing up the batter, I was thinking about the post.  I slid the cake into the oven, and hummed happily to myself as I washed the gooey bowls.

15 minutes later, I just had to see how things were coming along.  So I opened the oven door for a peek, and….nothing.  Barely even warm.  A few more tests and frantic turnings of the dial, and it was official.  My stove was dead.

The pictures of this cake were taken at the home of my kindly friend Alex, who in exchange for a chunk of it lent me his (actually far nicer) kitchen for an evening.  And in the end, I still got my moments of glee when the cake came out of the oven – just about 6 hours later than I had intended.

Despite any difficulties, I’m incredibly pleased with how this turned out – the cake is moist and mildly spiced, and full of flavor.  The touch of orange zest with the cinnamon reminded Alex of a Christmas cake, but there’s no getting around the red juicy flavor of fresh cherries.  It’s perfect for a summer dinner, or even breakfast the next day.

Read on for the Cherry Yogurt Cake Recipe

Cherry Yogurt Spice Cake (PDF)

active time: 20 minutes, total: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients:
2 cups pitted and halved sweet cherries
2 cups white whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon orange zest
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons raw sugar (for topping)

Special Equipment:
10-inch springform pan (other cake/muffin pans can be used, just adjust the cooking time accordingly)

How to:
Pit and slice your cherries. Put in a small bowl and set aside.  Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, white sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg.  Using a whisk, stir the ingredients until evenly distributed. In a separate bowl, beat the 2 eggs.  Stir in the yogurt, orange zest, melted butter and vanilla.  Stir until well combined.

Mix the wet ingredients into the dry with a rubber spatula, being sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to get all the flour incorporated.  Lift the cherries from their bowl, leaving any accumulated juices behind, and gently fold them into the batter.

Spray the springform pan with vegetable oil or baking spray.  Pour the batter into the pan, and tap it firmly on the counter to release any air bubbles.  Sprinkle the top with the raw sugar (if desired)

Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.