Sunken Sour Cherry Cake

These past weeks I revisited my mother-in-law’s fantastic recipes and my own favorite German foods. Also, I dove into my collection of vintage German cookbooks.  It’s been wonderful and fun speaking a whole other culinary language, and it makes me miss Germany so. Once again, I realize what a wonderful, rich experience being an expat is.  This versunkener kirschkuchen, or Sunken Sour Cherry Cake, comes up over and over again in German classic baking books. It was time to stop ignoring it.

In the über fast pace of NYC life, many times I long for Kaffee Kuchenzeit at home with family or spent in a cafe with girlfriends lingering over steaming cups of milchkaffee and delving into delicious German desserts.

As I have stated repeatedly on this blog, German desserts contain significantly less sugar than American ones.  This Sunken Sour Cherry Cake also has almond slivers and shaved chocolate in the batter. I topped it with simple whipped cream, and the result is a lovely, filling, sweet-sour flavor.

What are Sour Cherries?

Sour cherries may sound a little grumpy, but don’t be fooled—they’re the life of the dessert table! Unlike their sweet cousins, these ruby-red gems pack a tart punch that makes pies, jams, and sauces sing with flavor. Moreover, sour cherries are bursting with antioxidants, vitamin C, and even natural melatonin, which means they’re not only delicious but also a bedtime-friendly snack.

In addition, their tangy taste balances beautifully with sugar, chocolate, or even savory dishes like roasted meats. Consequently, bakers, chefs, and smoothie lovers alike keep them in high demand. They work perfectly in this Sunken Sour Cherry Cake. So, whether you call them tart cherries, pie cherries, or simply “the good stuff,” these little fruits prove that sometimes sour is the sweetest choice of all!

The minute this cake came out of the oven. My husband insisted I put whipped cream on it. Who am I to ignore his suggestion? He is German, after all.

Print

Classic German Sunken Sour Cherry Cake

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cherry Cake, German cakes, Sour cherry Cake, Sour cherry recipes, Sunken Cherry Cake

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Servings 16

Author Lora Wiley-Lennartz

Ingredients

For the sunken sour cherry cake:

• 2 sticks of unsalted butter
• 1 cup white granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons sugar beet syrup
• 5 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup blanched slivered almonds
• 1/3 cup shaved semisweet chocolate
• 24 ounces of whole pitted preserved sour cherries

For the Whipped Cream Topping:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons shaved chocolate

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Grease a 9”x12” baking pan
3. Drain the sour cherries from the jar and reserve half a cup of the syrup.
4. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and ground cinnamon. Set aside.
5. Beat the unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and beet syrup until creamy.
6. Add the eggs one at a time. Make sure each is incorporated into the batter before adding the next.
7. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
8. Fold the almond slivers and shaved chocolate into the mixture.
9. Add the sour cherry syrup to the batter and fold.
10. Spread the dough in the pan and evenly place half of the sour cherries on top, pushing each one down into the batter.
11. Bake 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.
12. Immediately after removing the pan from the oven, place the remaining cherries in the hollows of the sunken cherries on the top of the cake and gently push down.
13. De-pan the cake and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
14. Cut into squares and plate.
15. Whip the heavy cream together with the powdered sugar.
16. Use a tablespoon to place a dollop of whipped cream on each square.
17. Sprinkle the leftover shaved chocolate over the whipped cream on each square and serve.

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