An Italian Affair

     I really do enjoy baking seasonally; there's something ungodly about a pumpkin pie in June. However, sometimes you just have to go against the tides and play nature. I froze cherries from the summer and planned on making some ice cream with them later in the year (like in February when you can no longer eat citrus as your only form of fruit). As I was deciding what kind of a cake to make for my mom's birthday, the cherries resurfaced in the freezer, a premonition from a higher power. Almonds and cherry are a classic combo which is also mom-approved. I was off to the races until I encountered this...

Cherry-Almond Cake

I searched high and low for marzapane, and for what? This. This little can of "almond filling" was the closest thing I could find. I tried shaking it to see how viscous it was but was uncomfortable as I was being watched...you do you, I do me, store-keeper. When I opened it, it was more loose than marzapane, but what could I do? I was in deep.

This part was delightfully simple. I just added the butter, almond filling, sugar, and vanilla into a stand mixer and mixed until it was smooth. I then added the eggs, one by one, followed by the flour and baking powder, which I folded in. Lastly, I added the halved cherries. I divided the batter into two 9-in pans that were well greased. This is the finished cake. The almond filling did not result in mutant cake babies. 

Pastry cream time. Awwwww yea, look at that cream, and so easy to come by. This glorified pudding is a snap to make. You bring the milk and the vanilla bean to a boil. In the meantime, you combine the cornstarch, sugar, and salt together in a large heat-proof bowl. Add the eggs one by one into the heat-proof bowl until incorporated. Temper the egg mixture by slowly adding 1/3 of the milk, while whisking, into said bowl. Now add the egg mixture back into the pot to bring to another boil. I strained my mixture at this point to ensure against lumps and chunks but you don't need to. Once the mixture comes to a boil, you only need to cook it for a minute or two. Take the thickened mixture off the heat and slowly add the cold butter. Put that gem away for later.

Now we layer. Carefully slice each cake in half horizontally, yielding four cake disks in total. I took prepared cherry jam and added some water to it to make it easier to spread. Then the cream goes on.

It can be a hot mess because you're going to cover up your mistakes with icing! 

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To make the icing, combine two room-temperature sticks of butter with three cups of powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. Ice Ice, baby.

Yay, all of your imperfections have been covered up with buddah.

My family said this was the best cake I've made to date. I have a coconut cake floating around in my memory that has that honor, though.

Recipes

Cake:

(Adapted from Nigella Lawson's "How to be a Domestic Goddess")

350 F 40-50 min.

1 1/2 sticks butter

9 oz. marzapane (or my jenky can)

3/4 c sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla 

6 eggs

1 c and 1 tbsp flour

1 tsp baking powder

Pastry Cream:

(Adapted from "The Professional Pastry Chef" by Bo Friberg)

1 pint whole milk

1/2 vanilla bean

1 oz. cornstarch

4 oz. sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs

2 oz. butter

Icing:

2 sticks of softened butter

3 c powdered sugar

1 tbsp vanilla

milk, as needed