Sour Cherry Coffee Cake

How come I never had a sour cherry before?
Because I have lived a sheltered life here in NJ, not realizing that sour cherries are grown right here!

The last 2 weeks I have seen these smaller cherries at the market, and was told they have a short season. What doesn't grow here in the Garden State?
(answer: avocados).

Get these little cuties while they last.
They are tarter than regular cherries, juicier and I love them.

Husband liked them better baked in the cake, said they were too bitter for his taste, but not mine.
I always choose bitter over sweet (except for people).

Here is Martha's delicious sour cherry coffee cake recipe.......evidently, sour cherries are very popular in Hungary and there are a ton of recipes for Hungarian sour cherry cakes.

The original recipe calls for buttermilk, but I had sour cream, and I loved the results.

This was a beautiful cake.

Martha's Sour Cherry Coffee Cake (adapted from Lottie & Doof):

For the topping:

2 ounces (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for dish
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dish
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the cake:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream
1-2 cups pitted sour cherries

Make the topping and incorporate all the butter to make a sort of paste. Set aside.

Mix the cake ingredients (you know how, wet together, then add in the dry ingredients to make a batter).
Add in half the cherries (don't worry if they sink).

Pour batter into a well buttered and floured 8 1/2" springform pan.

Dot the top of the batter w/ the rest of the pitted sour cherries.

Clump the topping over the cherries and pat down with a spatula, you want to have a nice crusty streusel topping.

Bake in a 350F oven for 45-50 minutes.
Let rest 10 minutes, then unmold the sides of the cake pan and transfer to a cooling rack.

You do not need to put any icing on the streusel, but I wanted it to look better, so I did (ignore me).

Best served w/ whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Delicious!!!!