Sour Cherry Loaf

You won’t be able to stop nibbling on this cake. It’s the one-bowl-beat-everything-together-and-then-bake method. I used cardamom when I tested it first, but did not love the flavour. I switched to vanilla, but experiment yourselves. Vary the fruit using chopped peaches, blueberries or apricots and add some grated lime rind for a little lift. Serve a slice with ice cream and extra fruit for dessert. To pit the sour cherries, I smashed them with a knife and the pits popped out.

Servings: 1 loaf

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup soft butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 1/2 cups pitted sour cherries

Method

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Place parchment paper in base of a standard loaf pan. Butter the sides of the pan and sprinkle some sugar to coat sides.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Stir in butter, sugar, eggs, yogurt and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer for 3 minutes or until mixture is smooth and some air has been incorporated. The mixture will be quite thick. Stir in cherries. Spoon into loaf pan.

Bake for 55 to 65 minutes or until top is golden and a cake tester comes out clean. If cake is browning too quickly cover with parchment paper. Cool in pan for 20 minutes. Run a knife along inside of pan and turn out onto a rack. Cool completely.