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Almond Chestnut CHERRY upside down cake


Ruby red cherries find themselves in the company of Gluten free flours.
Splashes of Amaretto and vanilla bring out the best that cherries can offer in a cake.



Crazy for cherries

This is how we are depicted in our family.
Without hesitation, we can have them for every meal of the day.
Come place a great bowl of cherries at the table and just see what happens.
A slightly uncontrollable flock of usually well behaved persons grabbing at cherries.
I think pigeons pecking at bread crumbs are better behaved.  
Alright, maybe I'm exaggerating just a little...or am I?



Packed with incredible nutrients...the CHERRY:
. Helps improve eyesight with its beta-carotenes.
. Eases joint pain with its anti-inflammatory qualities.
. Keeps cholesterol at bay with its soluble fiber rich pectin.
. Improves sleep with its naturally occurring melatonin hormone. 
. Protects the colon with its quercetin, an anti-carcinogenic flavanoid.

Lastly...one great perk...1 cup (250ml) of pitted cherries has only 97 calories!
What a great excuse to keep enjoying fresh cherries ;o)



Now, baking with them is a little tougher for me to handle.
Why?..How could I let go of those delicious ruby reds from their luscious fresh bites?


Up until now, the only time I've cooked cherries was for a jam with Amaretto.
That's only because the cherries were not to my expectation.  
A little sugar and voila...the cherries perked up.
Well, I decided to apply the same pick me up in this scrumptious upside down cake.





CHERRY torte cake
 with...Almond and Chestnut flour 

upside down cake

Gluten-Free
note...A variation to Gluten-free:  
Replace the same amount in All-Purpose flour and eliminate the apple cider vinegar.

serves 8-10



INGREDIENTS:
(American / Metric measures)


Base:
. 1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter
. 1/4 cup (50g) brown sugar, packed
. 1 Tbsp. (15ml) fresh lemon juice
. 35 medium cherries, pitted and halved

Cake:
. 3/4 cup (75g) Almond flour
. 3/4 cup (115g) Chestnut flour
. 1/4 cup (27g) Tapioca flour (aka Tapioca starch)
. 2 tsps. (10ml) baking powder (GF)
. 1/2 tsp. (2.5ml) sea salt
. 1/2 cup (125ml) grapeseed oil
. 3/4 cup (165g) granulated sugar
. 3 large eggs
. 1 Tbsp. (15ml) pure Vanilla extract
. 3 Tbsps. (45ml) Amaretto liquor
. 1/2 cup (125ml) evaporated milk
. 1 Tbsp. (15ml) apple cider vinegar

Garnish (optional):
. 1/8 cup (30g) raw, sliced almonds, lightly toasted 





PREPARATION:
. Pre-heat the oven to 350F/180C/Gas4. 
. Grease only the sides of a 9-inch (23cm) round cake pan.





BASE:
1. In the cake pan, place the butter, brown sugar and lemon juice together.  Once the oven is heated, place the pan in for 5 minutes until it bubbles.  Remove pan and start placing the cherries (cut side up) in a concentric circle.
CAKE:
2. Sift together the flours, baking powder and salt into a bowl or piece of parchment paper.  Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat the oil and sugar until smooth.  
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in the vanilla and Amaretto. 
5. Now, add half of the dry ingredients on low speed until blended.   Add and blend in the milk and apple cider vinegar.   Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until combined. 6. Gently pour the batter onto the cherry base.  Bake for about 45 minutes.
7. Remove the cake pan from the oven and onto a rack for about 5 minutes.  Lightly pass a thin spatula around the cake.  Afterwards, invert it on a serving platter and leave it alone for another 5 minutes before uncovering it.
8. In the meantime, place the almonds into the oven or a stovetop to lightly roast for only 3 minutes.  Watch them carefully.
9. Evenly distribute the toasted almonds over the center of the cake.   Serve it at room temperature.  The cake will keep lightly covered at room temperature for about three days without drying out.  Enjoy.








Since cherries barely increase my blood sugar levels ... 
I'll take full advantage of keeping them close by.    
 If by chance they aren't to my liking ... 
I'll give them up into another baked delight...Cherry Clafouti perhaps?



Enjoy the sweet freshness gifted by mother nature.


Flavourful wishes,
Foodessa


Comments ... ??? ... or suggestions ... write me :o)
Claudia at:  foodessa [at] gmail [dot] com


Go HERE for more SWEET creations.



Please take note on how I bake and cook...
Here’s a 101 of sorts to make sure that there are no disappointments when trying my creations.  
Also...just so you know...feel free to increase the salt and sweet factor since I'm not high on either of them ;o)
. Use DRY cup measurements for...you guessed it...all DRY ingredients.
Anything DRY gets measured by spooning the overfilled ingredient (never shake the cup) and then level off with a flat edged tool.  Exception...Brown sugar should be packed in and leveled.
. Use LIQUID cup measurements for...all LIQUIDS that cannot be leveled like for example butter, yogurt...etc.  Measure the liquids at eye level to avoid overdoing what the recipe truly needs.
OVENS are unfortunately not created equal.  Mine is so old that it has reached many degrees off it's norm.  It's really worth investing a few dollars to test yours with an appropriate oven thermometer.  You'd be surprised how many ovens I've heard about not being where they should have been.  Before you lose any more ingredients and much time preparing a new recipe...run to the store...you'll thank me later.


Here's other Gluten-Free cake tortes you may want to try:
- Apple Pecan Raisin spice torte cake
- APPLE and Almond cake torte
- Chocolate Almond TORTA CAPRESE flourless cake 
- Citrus Chocolate Coconut Ginger Nut flourless torte cake
- CLEMENTINE CHOCO NUT flourless torte cake
- FIG and NUT torte cake
- ORANGE spice ALMOND flourless torte cake
- Pineapple and Spice reversed torte cake
- PLUM buttermilk torte cake
- Port Fig Yogurt torte cake
- Ricotta Orange Chocolate torte cake