Cherry Pistachio Olive Oil Cake

Here is my annual contribution to the cherry dessert recipes for the month of June.

Cherries have such a short season here, they come right after the strawberries and asparagus.
Next to come are the green beans and blueberries. :)

I despise pitting cherries, and I finally retired my olive/cherry pitter from Italy this week.

My kitchen looks like a scene from Dexter.

I now smash them gracefully, with the back of a small pairing knife, trying not to create too much bloodshed.

This is a beautiful olive oil cake.
Reminder: make sure you are using a mild flavored olive oil (I use Colavita extra virgin), save the expensive Sicilian stuff for dressings.

Also, I was hoping the pretty cherries would stay on top, but after baking, the cherries sunk to the bottom and the pistachios were no where to be seen. So......feel free to use strawberries or raspberries, which don't sink in cakes (much prettier), and use sliced almonds on the top instead.

What else can I tell you about this lovely cake?

Nothing, except this is a great cofee cake, not too sweet and just right for breakfast (if you are the kind of person that eats cake for breakfast).

Cherry Pistachio Olive Oil Cake:

1 3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 tbsp lemon zest
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup mild flavored olive oil
1 cup fresh cherries, pitted
1/4 cup of chopped pistachios or sliced almonds
turbinado sugar for the top

Preheat oven to 350F.

Spray a 9" springform pan with cooking spray, and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Mix the sugar, eggs, extracts, lemon juice and zest.
Add in the olive oil and mix well, about 5 minutes.

Add in the dry ingredients to form a batter and pour into prepared cake pan.

Dot the top w/ the cherries and sprinkle w/ the almonds or pistachios.

Sprinkle with turbinado (raw) sugar and bake for 45-50 minutes.

Let rest 10 minutes before removing the cake ring.

Because this cake did not turn out pretty (it was just a brown cake), I glazed it with some confectioners sugar mixed w/ a tablespoon of milk and a tsp of fresh lemon juice. A dusting of powdered sugar is always a good idea.

Delicious, enjoy!