It’s officially summer. Though this summer feels different in a lot of ways, I am trying to keep other things as normal as possible.
Things like taking lots of walks. Enjoying sunshine, flowers, and wildlife. And lots of Starbucks. Duh.
I am of course also all about enjoying all the summer foods. Fresh fruit and vegetables are some of my favorite things to eat. Peaches, apricots, nectarines, figs, berries of all kinds. Peas, ramps, radishes, asparagus, summer squash.
And cherries. Absolutely cherries. In all the colors and varieties. Cherries, cherries, and more cherries please. If a sundae is better with a cherry on top, maybe we can make life even a little bit better with a bunch of cherries thrown at it.
I’m going to test out that theory at every single chance. My first experiment: triple cherry and hazelnut upside down cake.
Let’s talk cherries first. We’ve got Bing, rainier, and sour cherries in concentric circles in this cake. They are pitted because cake with pits is never going to be a winner. Other than that, I tried to leave the, whole and let them shine.
Hazelnuts bring everything together with their earthy nuttiness. And then of course there is the insanely moist, melt in your mouth cake that is awesome, yes, but mostly there to let the cherries shine.
I hope this cake can bring you some joy and normalcy. And if cherries and ice cream are such a match made in heaven, I won’t tell if you top this with a giant scoop. Or maybe a pint. I feel like we’re living in pint territory.
Paleo Triple Cherry and Hazelnut Upside Down Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 10 slices 1x
Ingredients
¾ cup olive oil
1/3 cup maple sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
½ cup toasted hazelnuts
About 4 cups of cherries (this depends on size and how tightly you pack them in)
1 ½ cups paleo flour blend (2 cups almond flour, 1 ¼ cups tapioca flour, ¾ cup coconut flour)
2 teaspoons baking soda
¾ cup coconut sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup unsweetened almond milk
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Stir together ¼ cup of the olive oil, the maple sugar, and maple syrup in the bottom of an oiled round 8- or 9-inch cake pan. A skillet would work as well. Place the cherries in concentric circles on top of this mixture. I used Bing, rainier, and sour cherries. Place them as close together as possible. Sprinkle with hazelnuts. Set aside.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour and baking soda. Add the remaining olive oil, coconut sugar, lemon zest, eggs, vanilla, and milk. Stir until combined. If it is lumpy, a whisk can help work those lumps out. Pour over the cherries, and bake about 50 minutes until the cake is risen and golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Allow the cake to cool in the pan about 15 minutes, before carefully loosening the cake from the sides and inverting onto a platter. Serve warm or allow to cool completely. Cake may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or frozen, wrapped in parchment and foil and placed in a zipper bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the microwave about 1 minute.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Food52
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 50
Wow would just die for a piece of this cake! It looks fabulous and I too love cherries!!
★★★★★
This summer is definitely different. But the cherries are the same, thank goodness! And what a terrific way to use them — such a nice recipe. Thanks!
Yeah, we have to hang on to things that are still normal. Thanks, John.