Cherry Almond Cake

By Samantha Seneviratne The New York Times.

Read community notes Using frozen fruit is a great way to bring some summer sunshine to your baking all year round. It’s dependably sweet, delicious and usually affordable. Frozen fruit does tend to let off a lot juice, so it’s a good idea to thaw it first and let some of the liquid drain before adding it in. If you don’t have time to thaw your fruit, you can still bake this cake, but the fruit will sink to the bottom. Cherry and almond are a classic combination, but wild blueberries or chopped peaches would work, too. This naturally gluten-free cake is made with almond flour, which has the potential to make it dense. But whipped egg whites folded into the batter ensure that the cake is light and fluffy, despite being made almost entirely of nuts.

INGREDIENTS

• 8 ounces frozen cherries, thawed
• 2¼ cups/252 grams almond flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
• 8 tablespoons/113 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ¾ cup/150 grams granulated sugar, divided
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• 4 large eggs, separated
• Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

PREPARATION

1. Step 1: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square cake pan and line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two opposite sides. Pour off any excess liquid from the cherries and quarter them.

1. Step 2: In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, baking powder and salt. Using an electric mixer, in another medium bowl, beat butter and ½ cup of the granulated sugar until fluffy and well combined, about 3 minutes. Beat in the lemon zest and almond extract. Add egg yolks and beat to combine. Add almond flour mixture to butter mixture and beat to combine.
2. Step 3: In a clean bowl, with clean beaters, beat the egg whites until foamy and lighter in color, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in the remaining ¼ cup of granulated sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, until stiff, shiny peaks appear, about 5 minutes.
3. Step 4: Mix a scoop of the egg white mixture into the almond flour mixture to loosen it. Add the remaining egg whites to the almond flour mixture and fold them in by gently scooping up some batter from the bottom and folding it over the whites on the top. Rotate the bowl and repeat until just incorporated. (The batter is thick so this will take a bit of effort.) Transfer the batter to the baking pan and smooth the top. Top evenly with the cherries.

1. Step 5: Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 50 to 55 minutes. Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then use the parchment to lift the cake out of the pan and onto a rack to cool completely. Dust with confectioners’ sugar to serve. Store leftovers in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.