Cherry Cake Pudding

This old-time cake recipe reminds me a little of my grandma Iny’s prune cake, in that it’s a sticky, gooey, sweet delight…and that it’s from the same era. But this one’s chock full of cherries and is a tad easier to prepare. It comes from our old church cookbook and should be served on a Friday night when you have friends over, just to ensure that you’ll have no cake leftover. It’s addictive and difficult to resist.

 
 
 
I use these cherries. They’re packed in a light syrup (contrary to the label’s claim of “heavy syrup”) and are not to be confused with cherries packed in water or cherry pie filling.

Who knew canned cherries were so complicated?

 
 
 
Drain the syrup/juice into a measuring cup and set the cherries aside.

 
 
 
This can didn’t quite produce a cup of cherry juice…and we need a cup of cherry juice! We need a cup of cherry juice oh, so badly. In fact, in our entire lives we’ve never needed a cup of cherry juice quite this much.

 
 
 
So just add enough water…

 
 
 
To top it off.

Now just forget about the cherries for awhile. I know it’s difficult, but we need to get the other ingredients ready.

 
 
 
Pour some sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer.

 
 
 
Throw in some softened butter.

 
 
 
Mix it together until it’s all combined…

 
 
 
Then crack in an egg.

 
 
 
And mix it until it’s…mixed!

 
 
 
Add baking powder and salt to some flour, then sift it all together.

 
 
 
Alternate adding the flour mixture with some whole milk until it’s all mixed in.

 
 
 
Scrape the sides of the bowl once, then give it a good mix again.

 
 
 
Done!

 
 
 
Next, add in the cherries.

 
 
 
Then chop up some nuts…

 
 
 
And add those into the bowl.

 
 
 
Mix it all together gently, then go butter a square baking pan generously.

 
 
 
Pour the batter on in…

 
 
 
And spread it to even out the surface.

Then pop it in the oven for about 40 minutes or so, until the surface is nice and golden brown and the cake is no longer jiggly like my bottom.

 
 
 
While the cake is baking, make the sauce: pour the cherry juice into a small saucepan…

 
 
 
Then mix some sugar with a little flour…

 
 
 
And pour it into the pan.

 
 
 
Boil it for 8 to 10 minutes, then turn off the heat and stir in a tablespoon of butter.

 
 
 
The cake is done! Not jiggly like my bottom at all.

 
 
 
Pour about a third of the sauce over the top of the cake…

 
 
 

 
 
 
Then spread it out with the back of a spoon and let it soak into the cake for a few minutes.

 
 
 
Use a large spoon to scoop out portions of the warm cake.

 
 
 
Then drizzle on a little more sauce.

 
 
 

 
 
 
(China Check: Lenox “Chirp.”)

 
 
 
To top it off, plop on a nice dollop of freshly whipped cream. I like to leave it unsweetened, too. Cuts all this sugary nonsense going on.

 
 
 
This is scrumptious!

 
 
 
And it has fruit in it. So it’s actually really good for you.

(Just don’t quote me on that.)

Enjoy!

Love,
Pioneer Woman

Here’s the printable, adapted from my mom’s old church cookbook. Triple checked for accuracy!

 

Ingredients

• Cake
• 1 cup Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Butter, Softened
• 1 whole Egg
• 1 cup All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/8 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 cup Whole Milk
• 1 can (15 Oz. Size) Cherries In Syrup (Not Cherry Pie Filling), Drained, Juice Reserved
• 1/2 cup Pecans, Finely Chopped
• Sauce:
• 1 cup Juice From Cherries (add Water To Make 1 Cup If Necessary)
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon All-purpose Flour
• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• Unsweetened Freshly Whipped Cream

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Generously butter a square 9 x 9-inch baking dish.

Cream sugar and butter. Add egg and mix well. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt then add to mixing bowl alternatively with milk. Add cherries and chopped nuts and mix gently. Pour batter into buttered pan and smooth out the surface. Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden brown on the surface and no longer jiggly.

While cake is baking, make the sauce by combining cherry juice, sugar, and flour in a small saucepan. Boil for 8 to 10 minutes, or until thick. Turn off heat and stir in 1 tablespoon butter and vanilla extract.

Drizzle 1/3 of the sauce on the cake as soon as you remove it from the oven. Spread to distribute over the surface and wait ten minutes before serving so the sauce will seep into the top of the cake a bit.

Spoon out pieces of warm, sticky cake and top with unsweetened whipped cream.

Posted by Ree | The Pioneer Woman on January 17 2011

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