Cherry Almond Olive Oil Upside-Down Cake
Currently, writing you from nap time. Headphones on, iced coffee on deck, baby monitor with a cute little sleeping guy periodically stirring, and me, wondering, if I even have enough time for this (Spoiler alert from later me: Ya did, and you ate pasta while doing it- what a win, honestly.)!
I almost just typed that I hope everyone is getting in on all the summer produce, like it’s a limited edition collection, or something. But truly…
IS EVERYONE GETTING IN ON ALL THE SUMMER PRODUCE?!?
Because it’s exquisite. I’ve had about 6 nectarines in 2 days, which probably isn’t amazing digestively, but let’s not worry about it. That’s not why we are here. I don’t know what’s going on with cherries this year but every single one I’ve had has been incredible. It’s a good thing they have pits to slow me down, or I’d be at a roughly 50/50 nectarine/cherry bodily makeup. Fruit overdoses aside, this cake is an excellent vehicle with which to feature a surplus of stunning cherries.
Halved cherries get arranged atop a buttery brown sugar mixture, and then the cake batter gets made. This cake is the perfect complement to the cherries. Lightly almond-y, with a texture to die for, and a slight floral note from the EVOO. I opted for cake flour in this recipe, which creates a really delicate crumb. However, I’ve also made this cake with all-purpose flour, and it’s equally delicious, just slightly sturdier, which is not a bad thing with how moist this cake is. If you’re not into almond flavor, you could totally swap in some vanilla extract and it would still be delicious. I love a cake that you could serve as a dinner party dessert and also, rationalize having a slice with breakfast, because it’s not overly sweet.
Cherry Almond Olive Oil Upside-Down Cake
For the cherries:
4 T unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 c light brown sugar
1/2 t kosher salt
Roughly 12-15 cherries, pitted and halved
For the cake:
1 c granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 c milk
3/4 c Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 t almond extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1 1/2 t kosher salt
1. Preheat your oven to 350F.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl with a whisk), combine the brown sugar and room temperature butter and salt, and beat until thoroughly combined. Halve the cherries. Line a 10-inch cake pan with parchment paper and evenly spread the brown sugar and butter mixture atop the paper. Arrange the halved cherries atop the brown sugar and butter mixture.
3. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the granulated sugar and eggs. Beat thoroughly until pale in color, thickened, and drips back onto itself like ribbons when you dip the paddle into it and let it run off (called the ribbon stage, go figure).
4. Add in the milk, almond extract, and olive oil.
5. Gently whisk together the dry ingredients. With the mixer on low, add in the dry ingredient mixture, one fourth at a time, until the batter is just barely combined. Not over-mixing when we incorporate our dry ingredients helps contribute to a light, delicate crumb.
6. Pour the batter evenly atop the cherries and bake for about 50 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Allow to cake to cool completely. Once cool, set a large flat plate or serving dish upside-down, atop the cake pan. Holding firmly to both the cake pan and the plate, carefully and gently invert so the cake pan is upside-down atop the plate. At this point, I like to gently knock on the top of the cake pan just to loosen any stubborn areas. Then, slowly, but confidently remove your cake pan. Gently peel back the parchment paper, and top with a dusting of powdered sugar.
This feels like something my grandma would have loved. Is that weird? Slightly retro flavor combo with the cherry and almond, yet really fresh, light, with an almost Italian vibe thanks to the fruity EVOO. Delicious with a barely-sweet whipped cream, or a cup of coffee or tea at breakfast, this really is a versatile little treat. Also, I’ll share with you, I’ve tinkered with this cake recipe a LOT. It’s been my go-to upside-down cake recipe for years, and the original skeleton I used came from Food and Wine. But I’ve since made every swap-a-roo within it that one can, and now it’s just become a catch-all for whatever seasonal fruit I’m loving. I’ve made the cake with butter instead of olive oil, apples, berries, and peaches (separate occasions) instead of cherries. Vanilla extract over almond. Buttermilk instead of whole milk, or in a pinch, yogurt or sour cream. These all lend themselves to slightly different, but still incredibly delicious versions of this cake. I encourage you to find your favorite. It’s a real choose your own adventure. I think I might even have a recipe for the peach version up on Instagram from about 2 years ago, hehe.
And now, a cake story wrapped in some hot takes, or some hot takes wrapped in a cake story- you decide!
This cake was born out of one of those weekdays where I didn’t have a ton on our to-do list, and I knew I was a long way off from a nap time break…My inner dialogue: This could spell kitchen mess disaster if we can’t see this through, and do I want that for future me? But also, feeding my creativity, while feeding my family is far from unimportant. It’s not like this was an extreme dilemma, but moms know the way you have to intentionally grab and fill your pockets of time, otherwise they slip through your fingers. This was definitely an open pocket, and I really didn’t want this one to slip by me, as so many had over these past 10 months. Heck, tack another 9 onto that for pregnancy! ;)
I said some prayers, I put little doodle in his high chair, and to work I went! This ended up a sweet, encouraging morning of watching him watch me work, and letting him “help” where I could. I started this cake with the expectation of having to stop midway through. My lack of experience as a mom, and frankly, the deep way I’ve been set in my own routine had my mind geared for pessimism. As I kept completing step after step, I noticed I was getting further than I thought I would, and before I knew it, we got that baby in the oven, and did all the dishes, too. Emphasis on we, because we really did do it together.
There are some things that fall away when you become a mom. That’s a good thing. Some permanently, some for a season. Turns out, my creativity was just waiting in the wings while I navigated this wild new territory of raising a little boy. Still here, a part of me as it ever was, with perhaps a bit more purpose- but not my own.
Something not new to me in idea, but new in practice: Everything I do, I do first, for Jesus, and secondly, for my family. That might sound extreme to someone who does not share the same worldview. I’ll tell you this: I feel like I have “done” a lot, received material blessing a lot, been recognized for my “talents” in a worldly way, by most standards, a lot. First off, that is all by grace, and that also isn’t what holds my identity. These days, happily, my identity is rooted back where it used to be, and should have always been, in the fact that before anything else I am a child of God. I am every bit as much of a sinner as the next person. Not one thing I could produce of my own gifts could save or satisfy my soul in the way loving the Lord, and loving my little family does. It feels so good to be creative, to cook, to do all the things that evoke beauty. But there is so much more to life. The further I get from being entrenched in “me”, the closer I feel to what really matters.
Sound like a reach?
The world will tell you one thousand times over that raising kids isn’t important work. Marriage is overrated. If the work is invisible it’s not valuable. If the world isn’t seeing and applauding your strivings, you too, have no value. These are lies. These are lies that I feel extremely blessed to have guarded myself against before becoming a mom- and even so, they permeate our culture such that you kind of can’t escape it. I have moms alongside me who reject these lies, and we all still struggle with filling our cups and seeing value in work we do at home some days. On this day, making this cake was a real reminder that I’m still me, and I can still do creative things that I absolutely love, all while doing work that really matters.
If you’re a mom, or trying to become a mom, I pray you find your way to a deep knowing of your value in God, and how this often invisible work you are doing is raising up a generation of children who value wisdom, truth, and know the love of God, and what it looks like to love others well. What an extremely difficult honor. I’ll never be an expert, but I know this: This is one thing worth striving for, and frankly, I think it warrants a piece of cake.
