Cherry Cake Squares Recipe

This easy to make cherry cake square smells amazing while it bakes. This dessert is quick to assemble and you will want to plan to serve it warm and fresh from the oven. Ice cream is really a nice addition to this dessert.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs pitted fresh or frozen and thawed cherries
1⁄4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 Tablespoons cherry jam
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 egg
2 1⁄4 cups all purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
3⁄4 teaspoons salt
1 cup buttermilk

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400� F.

Grease a 13x17 inch baking pan with butter. Lightly dust with flour and set aside.

Place the cherries into a bowl. Sprinkle on the 1/4 cup of flour, lightly toss to coat the cherries and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar, jam and vanilla and beat until pale and fluffy.

Add the egg and beat in until incorporated.

In a second mixing bowl, stir together the 2 1/4 cups flour with the baking powder and salt.

Turn the electric mixer onto low and beat in the flour and buttermilk in increments, alternating the dry and wet until you have it all mixed in.

Transfer the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula.

Check on the consistency of the cherries. If liquid has collected in the bottom, drain it off first then sprinkle the cherries over the top. You want the cherries to sink into the batter.

Place the pan into the preheated oven and baked for 40-50 minutes until the cake top is golden brown.

Remove from the oven onto a cooling rack. Let it cool in the pan then cut into squares.

This is really tasty served warm or at room temperature rather than chilled.