This is the easiest “cake” I’ve made in a while, and it’s a great recipe for non-bakers. I’ve put cake in inverted commas, because the dish is actually based on an old American recipe for cobbler in which a batter is made very simply by mixing flour, milk, sugar and baking powder, pouring it into a hot pan with melted butter and cherries, then baking until golden. It’s a very casual affair that results in a delicious, chewy crust, a fluffy middle – and one very pleased home cook.
Very easy cherry cake with pistachio cream
The pistachio cream is lovely for a special occasion, but it does mean you need to buy some ready-made pistachio butter, so is a little expensive – if you prefer, serve this with vegan vanilla ice-cream or creme fraiche to lower the cost (and effort). You’ll need a 26-28cm-wide ovenproof frying pan, so if yours is smaller, you may need to increase the baking time a little.
Prep 5 min
Cook 45 min
Serves 6
300g frozen cherries, defrosted
1 orange, zest finely grated, then juiced to get 2 tbsp
150g caster sugar
150g plain flour
1½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp fine sea salt
140g whole oat milk
½ tsp vanilla paste
120g unsalted vegan butter
For the pistachio cream (optional)
120g pistachio butter
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp agave syrup
A pinch of salt
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. In a medium bowl, mix the cherries with the orange juice. In a second bowl, mix the orange zest, caster sugar, flour, baking powder and salt, then stir in the milk and vanilla paste, and whisk again. Stir half the cherries and all the orange juice into the batter.
Melt the butter in an ovenproof frying pan on a medium heat and, once it’s frothing, scrape in the batter – don’t stir it into the butter, though. Evenly scatter the remaining cherries over the top, then bake for 30 minutes, until golden.
While the cake is baking, make the pistachio cream, if using. Put all the ingredients and 50g water in a small blender (or use a stick blender) and blitz until light and fluffy.
When the cake is ready, serve it straight away with dollops of pistachio cream (or ice-cream/creme fraiche) on the side.