Cherry and Pistachio Yogurt Cake

In June, Paris’ markets burst with cherries, piles so high that I just want to lay my head down on them and never move again. When the stand owners display them next to the asparagus or the apricots, they look even more vibrant, like precious stones shining in the sun. What a shame that cherry season is so short.

Once cherry season hits the City of Light, cherries appear in all the bakeries and pastry shops, too—the magnificent clafoutis at the boulangeries and cherry tarts at the patisseries.

This year, when the cherries arrived at our neighborhood market I realized that with all my love for chocolate, I had to make Gali a cake with cherries, one of her favorite fruits.

One of the best matches for cherries, in my opinion, is pistachio. The two make for a winning combination in terms of both color—the cherry’s deep burgundy with the pistachio’s light green—and taste—the pistachio’s rich nuttiness with the cherry’s simultaneous sweetness and tartness.

Lately I published the recipe for the Vanilla Yogurt and Chocolate Chunks Cake, a very easy cake that is great for any hour of the day. This time I decided to turn it into a Cherry and Pistachio Yogurt Cake. A great combination of sweetness and sourness with the rich pistachio flavor, it’s definitely going to be a summer hit.

Cherry and Pistachio Yogurt Cake
20-22-cm kugelhopf/bundt pan

Ingredients
210g eggs (around 3 big eggs)
150g sugar
100g canola oil
5g vanilla extract 
170g all-purpose flour, sifted
40g corn starch
7g baking powder
2g baking soda powder
Pinch of salt
210g yogurt
150g pistachio praliné or pistachio paste
15 cherries pitted and halved
Confectioners sugar for decoration

Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 170C degrees, grease and flour the pan.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar until obtain a light and fluffy preparation.
3. Add oil and vanilla extract, keep beating.
4. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, corn starch, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
5. Add half the flour mixture and half the yogurt over eggs mixture, stir to combine but not too much. Repeat with remaining flour mixture and yogurt.
6. Pour half the batter into the prepared pan. Pipe half the pistachio praliné on top of the batter and sprinkle with some cherries. Repeat with the rest of the batter, pistachio praliné and cherries. Swirl the batter, pistachio praliné and cherries (I like to use chopsticks).
7. Bake for about 40-45 minutes, until baked but not too dry. Let cool in the pan.
8. When still a bit warm, transfer to a serving dish, dust with confectioners’ sugar and enjoy. 

Bon-Appétit
Sharon