Things I Like:
The moment of just beginning to make fresh pasta.
Beet tails.
Homemade cheese. With some homemade pesto mixed in.
Bubbling sauces.
Complaining about how long it takes to make fresh pasta.
Perfectly sliced vegetables.
Assembling a lasagne.
Cooling lasagne.
Roasted veggies.
Perfect little cherry almond cakes.
With ice cream on top.
My friends coming over to eat dinner with me. But I didn’t take a picture of that. Because that would be lame.
But you know who you are.
RECIPE:
Cherry Frangipane Cake
12 oz almond paste, room temperature
2 tbsp sugar
6 oz butter, room temperature
4 eggs, room temperature
6 tbsp flour
4 tsp baking powder
As many cherries as you like, pitted
– Heat oven to 350.
– Butter 10” tart tin.
– Mix together flour and baking powder.
– Place almond paste into mixer and beat until smooth, 1-2 minutes. It is really important that there not be any chunks, once you start adding other ingredients, it’s impossible to get the chunks out. On the flip side, don’t overmix or it will get oily.
– Add butter and continue mixing until well blended, about 1 minute.
– Add sugar and continue mixing for for 30 seconds.
– Slowly stream in eggs, continue mixing until smooth, about 1 minute.
– Turn mixer speed to low and mix in flour and baking powder.
– Spread into tart tin. You want to have batter about 3/4″ deep in pan, So you won’t use all of the batter. You can save the rest in the fridge for about 2 weeks, or in the freezer for 2 months.
– Top with cherries, pressing them down so that they’re halfway sunk into the batter.
– Bake until done, around 30 minutes.
– Cool in pan on rack for 30 minutes before unmolding. It’s a delicate cake, so be gentle…
– Sprinkle with some powdered sugar and serve with some whipped cream or ice cream.
I made that! 
You could taste the ‘homemade love’ in every last bite. Thank you so much for squeezing me into Chez Brandi tonight, it was delightful 😉
Looks amazing! You are a whiz kid.
I feel so humbled to have a friend that pours such thought, time, and love into making the most decilious food for our enjoyment! Thanks so much for dinner Brandi. You rock!
Things I like: Last night’s unbelievably tasty dinner and having such a talented friend!
Hi Brandi,
I am Tim’s wife. I have made your Strawberry Buckle twice and it is fantastic. Can you post the recipe for the Cherry Almond cakes that you served with ice cream? Thanks! E
PS: I have been passing your blog around Portland.
Yes! I will post it in the next few days. It’s an easy recipe, I just have to scale it. I keep huge batches of the batter (it’s frangipan) in my freezer during stone fruit season and scoop it out when I’m craving almond. Thank you for sharing me with your friends!
Ok recipe is posted! Let me know how it goes!
I will! Buying cherries tomorrow. Thanks, Brandi. E
I tried this cake at a local cafe (in Melbourne, Australia) and decided that I wanted to make it also as it is such a lovely cake. Googled and found your recipe. will let you know how it turned out.
Loved the recipe for ricotta, and the ricotta cheesecake – thank you.