Impress your teatime guests with this showstopping confection laden with dried cherries and chopped pistachios. Drizzle melted white chocolate over top for extra panache and exquisite taste.
White Chocolate, Pistachio & Cherry Cake
Makes 1
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried cherries
- 1 cup boiling water
- 3 cups plus 1 tablespoon unbleached cake flour, divided
- ¾ cup chopped pistachios
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup white chocolate morsels
- Garnish: maraschino cherries and mint
Instructions
- In a medium heatproof bowl, combine dried cherries and 1 cup boiling water. Let sit until cherries are plump, 20 minutes. Drain and dry cherries well. Coarsely chop cherries.
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 3 cups flour, pistachios, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy, approximately 4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and almond extracts. With mixer at low speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk in three additions, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
- In another medium bowl, toss chopped cherries with remaining 1 tablespoon flour, and fold into batter.
- Spray a 10-cup Bundt pan* with baking spray with flour. Spoon batter into prepared pan, smoothing top. Tap pan on countertop 3 times to settle batter.
- Bake cake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes, covering with foil after 45 minutes to prevent excessive browning. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan onto a wire rack, and let cool completely.
- Place chocolate morsels in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on medium (50 percent) power until melted and smooth, 2 minutes, stirring every 15 seconds. Transfer chocolate to a piping bag, and cut ⅛ inch off tip. Drizzle chocolate over cake. Let chocolate set. Store cake at room temperature in an airtight container.
- Just before serving, garnish with maraschino cherries and mint, if desired.
Notes
*We used a Nordic Ware Heritage Bundt 10-cup pan.
