In the summer time Turkey’s orchards yield an abundant range of mouthwatering fruits. Cherries are amongst them; they are native to Anatolia and plentiful. We eat them in abundance as fresh fruit, make wonderful cherry jams out of them and put them in cakes and puddings. I adopted this lovely, fruity, easy to make pudding from the cookery book River Cottage Everyday, by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, one of my favorite chefs in England. I added almonds to this classic French pudding, and the outcome took me to my childhood, the very welcoming smells of lovely cherry cakes and puddings after coming back from school, a very happy sight! It goes very well with coffee and tea or served as a dessert.
I like to stone the cherries, as the pudding is be heavily consumed by small children. You’re welcome not to stone them if you’d like and make the most of the juices.
Serves 6
Preparation time: 15-20 minutes Cooking Time: 40 minutes
425 gr / 15 oz cherries, stalks removed and stoned
50 gr / 1 3/4 ounce plain flour
30 ml / 2 tablespoon almond flakes
A pinch of sea salt
100 gr / 3 1/2 ounces caster sugar
3 medium eggs, lightly beaten
240 ml / 8 fl oz whole milk
Icing sugar for dusting (optional)
Preheat oven to 180 C/ 350 F / Gas Mark 4
Lightly butter a 25 cm (10″) round baking dish or a 25×20 cm (10″x8″) rectangular one. Spread the cherries out in a single layer in the baking dish.
Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and stir in the almond flakes and sugar. Make a well in the centre and add the beaten eggs. Gradually draw in the flour from the sides, mixing well. Then beat in the milk, a little at a time, to form a smooth batter.
Pour the batter over the cherries and bake in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes, until golden and puffed up. This pudding is best eaten warm though still enjoyable when cold. You can dust with icing sugar before serving if you like. Serve it plain, or with some vanilla ice cream or clotted cream.
Afiyet Olsun!
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