Almond Cherry Snowballs #ChristmasCookiesWeek

Each Christmas, we make Mom Klik's Almond Cherry Snowballs.  They are part of my husband's fond Christmas food memories and are now our children's fond Christmas Food memories.  This year, I brought my Angel Face into the act, so it can become a fond Christmas Food memory for her too.

This is the final day of Christmas Cookies Week hosted by Jolene of Jolene's Recipe Journal.......

Chocolate Cherry Bubbles #ChristmasCookieWeek

These cake-like cookies topped with a chocolate glaze are sure to become a family tradition each holiday season.

Welcome to Christmas Cookies Week hosted by Jolene of Jolene's Recipe Journal.......

U is for Upside Down Cake

All the flavor you love in a Black Forest Cake without all the fuss and muss.  This semi-homemade cake is made with canned cherry pie filling, a cream cheese layer, and a boxed cake mix baked up in a cast-iron skillet.

U is for Upside Down Cake.......

Roast Pork Loin with Cherry Sauce #SundayFunday

Boneless Pork Loin Roast cooked to a perfect medium and topped with a savory cherry sauce.  A perfect comfort meal for a cold Sunday in January.

The Sunday Funday Bloggers are sharing Comfort Food Recipes.....

Cherry Crisp

I am lucky to have a daughter with a cherry tree.  Normally this tree is very prolific and I am the happy recipient of all the bounty it provides.  This year was rather sparse.  It only provided enough cherries for this delicious crisp so we savored every bite.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Cherry Salsa #NationalCherryDay

Pork Tenderloin marinated in lime, olive oil, and spices grilled to perfection and topped with a fresh cherry salsa.

It's National Cherry Day.......

Cherry Winks #ChristmasCookieWeek

 These classic cookies from Pillsbury make an appearance on my cookie trays every Christmas.  They are festive and delicious.  They freeze well, pack up well for sending and gifting, and are great "fill the cookie jar" treats.

Welcome to Day 2 of Christmas Cookie Week......

Fudge Cake with Cherries and Pecans #CakeSliceBakers

Dense fudge brownie like cake studded with pecans and dried cherries. No frosting needed but a dollop of ice cream and hot fudge would certainly be delicious.

It's time for The Cake Slice Bakers...................

Chocolate Cherry Brownie Bites #ChristmasSweetsWeek

Bite size little brownies topped with a fun little cherry on top.  Perfect addition to your cookie platter this Holiday Season.

We're still celebrating Christmas Sweets Week........

Sour Cherry and Mahleb Crumb Cake #CakeSliceBakers

Delicious seasonal cherries surrounded by a tender cake and topped with a crunchy crumble.  This was one of my favorite desserts I served up last month.

This was my selection for Cake Slice Bakers this month......

Cherry Lime Rickey #ImprovCookingChallenge

 Fresh cherries muddled with sugar and lime and topped with gin served over ice.  This cocktail is a wonderful summer refresher.

It is time to create with Cherries and Lime for this month's Improv Cooking Challenge......

Amazing Cherry Almond Sourdough Scones #FoodieExtravaganza

Tender flaky biscuits studded with dried cherries and slivered almonds are perfect with your tea for breakfast or for an afternoon snack to carry you through the day.

We are having a Tea Party today over at Foodie Extravaganza........

Stone Fruit Salad #OurFamilyTable

August is National Peaches Month.  In this delicious salad you combine peaches with other seasonal stone fruits, almonds and celery.  Add some Greek yogurt dressing and you have a quick, easy and delicious side dish for your next picnic or bbq.

Join the Folks from the Our Dinner Table Group as we celebrate sweet, juicy, tree ripe Peaches.......

Cherry Sops Ice Cream Shortcake inspired by The Chef's Secret

Tart cherries cooked in butter and wine until it turns into syrupy goodness.  This recipe can be used as a topping for toast or, as I served it, over ice cream shortcake.

This recipe is based on one found in the Chef's Secret Cookbook written in conjunction with the novel, The Chef's Secret by Crystal King.

Easy Cherry Turnovers and the Weekly Menu

These flaky, little tarts filled with sour cherry pie filling and drizzled with glaze are quick to bake up and fancy enough to serve to guests.

Lemon Cherry Babka #BundtBakers

When I saw this recipe for a Polish Lemon Babka, posted by my friend Carlee of Cooking with Carlee, I knew that I had found my cake for Bundt Bakers this month.

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.
Updated links for all of our past events and more information about BundtBakers, can be found on our home page.

This month's party is being hosted by Sneha of Sneha's Recipes.  Sneha chose the theme Cherries and invited us to "bake a bundt filled, flavored or topped with fresh or dried cherries or even cherry jam".


Each year around Easter and Christmas my husband starts reminiscing about "Bacci Bread".  See Babka means Grandmother in Polish.  My husbands family called his Grandmother Bacci, hence Bacci Bread = Babka.

Carlee described this dish by saying (I'm ad libbing here) "if bread and cake had a baby, it would be this creation".  That made me laugh and it also very true.  This is more of a cake made with yeast than it is a bread.

I adapted this recipe by exchanging dried cherries for the raisins so that it would fit the theme for this event.  I also soaked my cherries in rum rather than water.....that is a throwback to my Grandma who always used rum to soak her fruit for cakes and breads.

Other than that I followed the recipe pretty closely and it turned out perfectly.  Frank took a bite and said "oh yeah, this one's a keeper".  That made me very happy.  Thank you Carlee for the recipe and thank you Sneha for choosing this wonderful theme.

Lemon Cherry Babka
adapted from Cooking with Carlee

1/2 c. warm milk (105-110*)
3 eggs, room temperature
1 pkg. instant yeast
pinch of salt
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter, softened
2 c. flour
1/2 c. dried cherries, soaked in rum overnight

Syrup:
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. water
1 t. lemon extract

Glaze:
1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 T. milk
1/2 t. lemon extract

In the large bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the milk, eggs, yeast and flour.  Blend in the sugar and butter.  Increase the speed to high and beat for 2 minutes.  Drain the cherries and fold them into the batter.

Cover and let sit for an hour before turning into a bundt pan that has been treated with baking spray.  Cover and let sit for another half an hour before baking in a preheated 350* oven for half an hour.

While cake is baking make a simple syrup by combining the sugar, water and lemon extract in a small pan over med high heat.  Bring to a boil.  Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Remove cake from oven and place bundt pan onto a wire rack.  Poke holes all over the cake with a wooden skewer.  Pour the syrup over the cake and let sit for 20 minutes for the syrup to be absorbed and the cake to cool.  Turn the cake onto a serving platter and let cool completely.

Stir together the powdered sugar, milk and lemon extract.  Drizzle over the cooled cake.  Sprinkle with additional powdered sugar if desired.  Print Recipe

More Cherry Bundts

• Apple, Poppyseed and Cherry Bundt Cake from Katinspajz
• Banana Split Bundt Cake from Patty's Cake
• Bundt Cake Chocolate and Cherries from Merce`s Cake
• Cherry Brownie Bundtlets from Food Lust People Love
• Cherry-Port Swirled Bundt Cake with Almond Streusel from All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Cherries Zebra Bundt Cake from PatyCo.Candy bar
• Chocolate Cherry Bundtlets from Sweet Sensations
• Chocolate Covered Cherry Cake from The Queen of Scones
• Glazed Cherry Coconut Cake from Sneha's Recipe
• Lemon Cherry Babka from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Lemon Maraschino Buttermilk Bundt Cake from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Mary Berry Cherry Cake from Palatable Pastime
• Shirley Temple Bundt Cake from Cookaholic Wife
• White Chocolate Bundt Cake with Black Cherry Jam from I Love Bundt Cakes

Cherry Almond Clafoutis #KitchenMatrixCookingProject

I almost didn't participate in the Kitchen Matrix Cooking Project this week.  I have been trying to eat a little more healthy food and a little less dessert around here.  This is not easy for someone who has absolutely no will power.  I find it is best to just not have temptation staring me in the face.

I haven't given up goodies completely, just trying to control the amount that I shovel into my mouth.  Then, as luck would have it, I had company for dinner on Saturday night.  This meant I could make this delicious dessert, enjoy one slice, and not have leftovers sitting around calling my name afterwards.  YAY

Not only was I excited to make this dessert for it's custardy, deliciousness but it also gave me an opportunity to play with a new kitchen gadget that I bought on my last visit to Sur la Table.  

This  nifty cherry pitter pits 7 cherries at a time.  It made short work of this pound of cherries.  Between using the pitter for this job and the blender for mixing the batter, this Clafoutis was prepped and ready to go in the oven in less time than it took the oven to preheat.

  

Best $10 I ever spent.

Bittman's recipe called for half heavy cream and half milk.  I used purchased half and half.  Bittman used pistachios but I chose to use almonds.  Bittman also said you didn't have to pit the cherries if you didn't want.  I don't know about you but I certainly didn't want any of my family or friends having to make an emergency visit to the dentist!

Bittman said this should bake in about 40 minutes but I found that it took closer to 70 minutes to be golden brown and set.  That is one of the nice things about Bittman's book. It gives you a basic recipe and invites you to make it your own.  

Sweet dark cherries and tender slivered almonds nestled in smooth silky custard, you can enjoy this dessert as is, you can top it with whipped cream or you can heat it slightly and serve it with ice cream.  That's what I did and it was amazing!!

You will find links to the other Clafoutis recipes inspired by Mark Bittman below mine.

Cherry Almond Clafoutis

inspired by Kitchen Matrix by Mark Bittman

1 1/2 c. half and half

1/2 c. sugar

3 eggs

1/3 c. flour

1/2 t. almond extract 

1 lb. sweet cherries, stemmed and pitted

1/4 c. sliced almonds

Place cherries into a pie plate that has been treated with baking spray.  

Place half and half, sugar, eggs, flour and almond extract into a blender and mix until smooth.  Pour over cherries. Sprinkle with almonds.  Bake in a preheated 350* oven for 60-70 minutes, until golden brown and a knife inserted into the center removes cleanly.  Print Recipe

A Collection of Clafoutis

An InLinkz Link-up

Black Forest Bundt Cake #BundtBakers

Our host for this month's Bundt Bakers group is Lidia from Nunca es demasiado dulce.  This translates to "It's never too sweet".

Lidia asked us to share our favorite Bundt cake for today's post.  This created a bit of a quandary to me.  I have several "favorite" Bundts.  Like this Milky Way Bundt, that was my very first post when I joined Bundt Bakers in 2014.  Or this Apple Cider Bundt Cake from the Fall of 2015.  The list continues with Orange Cardamom Bundt I created in 2016 and last year I shared this Red White and Blue Bundt that continues to be one of my most visited posts.

But that's the thing.  I love all these Bundts but I have already posted them.  I don't know if I will have another favorite until I make it.  This caused me a moment's consternation when I saw the theme but then I decided that I was overthinking this.   I needn't make my favorite Bundt but merely my favorite cake in Bundt form.

Well, my favorite cake, in any form, is the Apple Cake that my Mom would make me each year for my birthday and I have already shared many takes on this in this group.  So my next favorite cake is a Black Forest Torte.  I love the chocolate layered with cherries and whipped cream.  There is a local bakery in Michigan, Sweetheart Bakery, that has amazing Black Forest Torte.  I have enjoyed that Torte many times but I have never made one myself.

So I went on a search and found this easy, peasy recipe for Black Forest Cake on allrecipes.com.  It starts with a boxed mix and a can of cherry pie filling.  There are no layers and the original recipe didn't even call for whipped cream but had a chocolate glaze instead.  You merely mixed everything together and put it in your pan.  I didn't even dirty a mixer, just used a wooden spoon, to mix it.

Popped it in the oven to bake and left it to cool until I was ready to serve it up.  I didn't bother with the glaze but whipped up some cream that I flavored with the last of the chocolate cherry jam that our son had made.  

Was it as good as Sweetheart Bakery?  No, of course not.  But was it good enough that it received praise and accolades from my guests....Yep.  Was it good enough that I will be making it again...It certainly was.  Did the deliciousness far exceed the effort taken to make this cake.....oh yeah!!  This is about as easy as it gets!!

I can't wait to see the other favorites being shared today.  You will find links to those recipes following mine.

Black Forest Bundt Cake

adapted from Allrecipes.com

1 pkg. Devil's Food cake mix

3 eggs

2 t. almond extract

1 (21 oz) can cherry pie filling

1 c. semi sweet chocolate chips

1 pt. heavy cream

1/4 c. chocolate cherry jam

Combine the cake mix, eggs, almond extract and cherry pie filling.  Stir in the chocolate chips.   Spoon into a bundt pan that has been liberally treated with baking spray and bake in a preheated 350* oven for 40-45 minutes, until a skewer inserted removes cleanly.

Let cool in pan for 10 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.

When ready to serve, place the cream in a chilled bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment.  Turn the speed to low and mix until it slightly thickens. Add the chocolate cherry jam, if using, increase the speed and continue to whisk until light and fluffy.  

Place a bed of whipped cream onto each plate.  Place a slice of cake onto the whipped cream and top with another dollop of cream or drizzle with chocolate sauce.  Print Recipe

More Favorite Bundt Recipes

• Black Forest Bundt from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Bundt Cake de Crema Pastelera from Merce's cake
• Chocolate Malted Bundtlettes from I Love Bundt Cakes
• Chocolate Pumpkin Bundt Cake from Patty's Cake
• Coconut Milk Cake With Chocolate Coconut Milk Frosting from Sneha's Recipe
• Ginger & Peach Jam Cake from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Glazed Cinnamon-Raisin Roll Bundt from All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Kahlua Bundt Cake from Love and Confections
• Lemon Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting from Palatable Pastime
• Pineapple Bundt Cake from Nunca es demasiado dulce
• Vegan Strawberry Mocha Bundt Cake from I Camp in my Kitchen

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.
Updated links for all of our past events and more information about BundtBakers, can be found on our home page.