I’m slowly working through a giant CostCo size bag of dried cherries that my daughter gave a thumbs down on for her lunches. So I have been getting creative in the kitchen with them. This brunch or breakfast cake came out perfectly! If you really want to get creative, reconstitute the cherries with some liquor-like rum or kirsch. As this was a “girl’s weekend” with my daughter, I kept it an “all ages” cake with just boiling water.
Girl’s weekend with my daughter was that much sweeter with this breakfast cake-and a marathon of Studio Ghibli movies didn’t hurt either! Put this on your next brunch buffet menu for your sweet offering. It makes a great presentation and tastes wonderful.
Orange Scented Dried Cherry Breakfast Cake
Ingredients
Cherries:
1 1/2 cups dried cherries
hot boiling water to cover
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 Tbsp. dried orange peel granules (or 1 Tbsp. fresh orange zest)
dash of salt
Batter:
1 stick butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 5.3 oz. container Chobani Blood Orange Geek yogurt
3-4 Tbsp. reserved cherry water
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Drizzle:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. maraschino cherry juice
1 Tbsp. water (or more)
Directions
The night before baking the cake, pour boiling water over the dried cherries in a bowl. Cover the top with a small plate and let sit out for a couple hours. Move the covered bowl into the refrigerator to sit overnight.
The next morning, pull out the cherries and drain, reserving the water. Roughly chop with kitchen shears or a knife. Toss with 1 tablespoon of sugar, dash of salt and the orange granules or orange zest. Let macerate while making the batter.
Preheat oven to 350˚. Spray a springform pan liberally with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
In a small bowl whisk the flour with baking powder and salt with a fork. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream the butter. Add the sugar and whip until light and fluffy. Add the egg, beating until fluffy and creamy. Add the yogurt and mix well.
Add the flour mixture, alternating with the cherry water, until just combined. Fold in the cherry mixture until evenly combined. Pour into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
Bake in the middle of the oven for about 35-45 minutes-or until toothpick at the center comes out clean and top is evenly golden. Let cool for 15 minutes, then unclip the sides to let the cake cool completely.
Mix the powdered sugar with the maraschino cherry juice and water until of drizzling consistency. Using a fork, drizzle the top of the cake, and let it set. Serve.
Flora is an award-winning creative director in Chicago turned food and lifestyle blogger extraordinaire. She is also author to the popular BEE NATIVE! gardening book series and various children's books that celebrate the wonder and hard work of bees and butterflies. Her blog and social spaces inspire thousands to create, learn, cook, grow, and craft, making their world lovelier one pixel/petal/seed/bite/stitch/brushstroke at a time. Follow her on all the social spaces, YouTube, and Amazon, and get creative!
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