Cherry Almond Tea Loaf is a recipe I developed when I found myself with too many dried cherries on hand—a nice problem to have!—and almond flour that needed to be used before it expired.
If you've had more than enough super sweet treats this month, you'll enjoy this not-too-sweet cake with its slightly tart cherries. Be sure to use plain dried cherries rather than sugary glacé cherries.
And if you're one of those people who doesn't like dried fruits, trust me, these dried cherries plumped for a short time in a bit of hot water do not seem at all like your usual dried fruit.
I want to bake it in a 3-inch deep 7-inch round pan next time, for serving on my little clear glass pedestal cake plate. Yes, I'm still thinking "tea party" after ten months of no such thing! I hope you are doing well. See you next year!
Cherry Almond Tea Loaf
(Makes 1 9x9x4-inch or 9x5x3-inch loaf cake)
2 packed cups (10 ounces/283 grams) dried cherries
1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces/118 ml) boiling water
1 1/2 dip-and-sweep cups (7.5 ounces/213 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 firmly packed cup (2 ounces/57 grams) super-fine almond flour (ground almonds)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 sticks (7 ounces/198 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 In a 3-cup shallow bowl, pour 1/2 cup boiling water over the dried cherries. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through, then drain thoroughly, reserving the liquid. Maybe give it 15 seconds or so in the microwave at that halfway point (sometimes I do, sometimes I don't).
2 Grease and flour, or spray with cooking spray, a 9x4x4-inch loaf pan or 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. I use a teaspoon of softened butter and 1 tablespoon of flour. Preheat oven to 350F/180C/Gas4.
Note: I love the square shape of the 9x4x4-inch loaf pan that I initially got for baking my gluten-free yeast breads but use (without its lid) for nearly everything that calls for a 9x5x3-inch pan.
3 In 2-quart glass measure or mixing bowl, whisk together flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt. Whisking the daylights out of the dry ingredients takes the place of sifting.
4 In 2.5- to 3-quart bowl, cream the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding in just a spoonful of the flour mixture if needed to keep the mixture from curdling. Stir in the vanilla and almond extracts.
5 Dump the flour mixture on top of the creamed mixture, then put the thoroughly drained cherries on top of the flour, and kind of dust the cherries with the flour. Then stir gently just until mixed. This keeps the cherries from sinking to the bottom of the loaf.
6 Stir in 1/4 cup (2 fluid ounces/59 ml) of the reserved liquid.
7 Scrape into prepared loaf pan and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325F/165C/Gas3 and continue baking for about 50 to 60 minutes.
8 Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes before turning out onto wire rack. Continue cooling for an hour.
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Jean