“This is a very simple cake to whip up at short notice, and it’s nice to eat warm with a dollop of cream,” says Brigitte Hafner. “I find European brands of morello cherries best because they’re not overly sweet. It’s also really delicious if you substitute fresh plums when they’re in season – Angelina Burdett plums being the best, I find.”
Ingredients
Streusel
Cinnamon sugar
Sweet pastry
Method
Main
1.Preheat oven to 170C. Place cherry juice, sugar and cornflour in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to the boil, stirring continuously, then whisk until mixture thickens (2-3 minutes). Stir in cherries, remove from heat, cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside to cool.
2.For streusel, process ingredients in a food processor until coarse breadcrumbs form. Transfer to a bowl, bring mixture together with fingers to form large lumps about the size of your thumbnail, then set aside.
3.For cinnamon sugar, combine ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
4.For sweet pastry, process flour, butter, sugar and a pinch of salt in a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. With the processor running, add egg and vanilla, process until the dough just starts to come together, turn onto a lightly floured surface, knead until smooth and roll out to fit the base of a 20cm x 30cm slice tin lined with baking paper. Top with cherry mixture then streusel and bake until golden (40 minutes). Dust with cinnamon sugar and serve.
Drink Suggestion: Sweet fizzy pink Brachetto. Drink suggestion by Max Allen
Notes