Spoon Cherries in Light Syrup over Plain Butter Cake

Spoonable sour cherries in bright lemon syrup crown a plain, tender butter cake. As Summer Corked for the March remembers, Appert’s Massy kettles once sealed such garden sweetness for the long Napoleonic road.

Serves 6

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Ingredients

• 3 cups pitted sour cherries
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. 1Combine sugar, the water, and lemon juice in a saucepan; bring to a simmer and stir until sugar dissolves.
2. 2Add the pitted cherries to the syrup and simmer gently 12 minutes until cherries are tender and syrup is lightly thickened; cool slightly.
3. 3Preheat oven to 350°F and butter an 8-inch square pan.
4. 4Cream the butter with sugar until pale, then beat in the eggs one at a time.
5. 5Sift together the flour and baking powder; add to the butter mixture alternately with the milk and vanilla extract, mixing until smooth.
6. 6Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake 25 minutes until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
7. 7Cool the cake 10 minutes, cut into portions, and serve each slice with a generous spoonful of cherries and their light syrup.