Cherry Almond Meringue Butter Cake

Have you ever heard of a cake that is all buttery crumb and vanilla on the bottom, sweet baked fruit in the middle, and fluffy meringue on top? This is such a cake. A cake with three magical layers and no frosting needed. A light dusting of powdered sugar could even be considered overkill depending on how sensitive you are to sweetness. The base is a tender butter cake, simple but strong enough to support a single layer of fresh fruit – I’ve used cherries here because they are just coming into season and I have trees bursting with them! But strawberries and rhubarb would be nice, or any stone fruit. Especially plums.

Once the butter cake layer has baked, it’s topped with the seasonal fruit and fluffy heaps of meringue studded with toasted almonds. It goes back in the oven and the meringue turns to marshmallow fluff atop the juicy fruit and butter cake. You know how I love my rustic cakes and this one is a summertime star! No frosting needed. Just a little powdered sugar, if you like, and fresh cherries and toasted almonds on top.

INGREDIENTS

• FOR THE CAKE:
• ½ cup + 2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, softened
• ½ cup Raw Cane Sugar
• 3 Egg Yolks
• 1 cup + 1 tablespoon All-purpose Flour
• 1½ teaspoon Baking Powder
• ¼ teaspoon Salt
• ⅓ cup Whole Milk
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 pound Cherries, pits removed and quartered(fresh or frozen)
• FOR THE MERINGUE:
• ½ cup Sliced Almonds
• 4 Egg Whites
• ⅛ teaspoon Salt
• 1 cup Sugar(I like to use Baker's sugar, which is ultra-fine)
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 teaspoon White Vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Cornstarch

INSTRUCTIONS
FOR THE CAKE:

1. Toast the almonds first - preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spread the almonds out in a singe layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, or until just lightly golden brown, and remove from the oven. Set aside.
2. ....................................

for full recipes please see : www.thekitchenmccabe.com

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