Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Cherry Dump Cake from scratch!


This is "traditionally" made with a boxed cake and canned pie filling, but this version isn't as sweet. This one is just sweet enough, and not much more difficult to make. Prep time is perhaps 15-20 minutes if you use frozen cherries (longer if you use fresh and pit them yourself). Not bad!

2 lbs (32 oz) frozen dark pitted cherries.
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup honey
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
butter for greasing the pan
1/2 fresh pineapple
2 cups unbleached flour
1 1/4 cup unrefined sugar
2 1/2 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
10 Tablespoons cold butter (1 1/4 sticks)
1 tablespoon fresh orange zest, minced

In a large saucepan, put cherries, half the water, and honey and turn heat to medium. In a small cup, mix the remaining water with the cornstarch. Set aside. Cook the fruit until it simmers, stirring occasionally.

While the fruit cooks, Cut the pineapple into fairly small pieces. Butter the bottom of a 13x9 inch pan. Layer pineapple in pan. Set aside.

By now your fruit should be simmering. Add the cornstarch/water mixture. Stir well. Allow to simmer for another minute and remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in the butter, with two knives, with a pastry cutter, or with your fingers (my preferred method. Grab a piece of butter, pinch and drop. Repeat.) When the butter is thoroughly incorporated (it should resemble something like a cornmeal), stir in the orange zest.

In the 13x9 inch pan, Layer the cherries over the pineapple. With your hands, sprinkle the flour mixture over the top of the cherries. Even it out with your hands, but don't press down too firmly.

Put the pan in the oven and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Turn the heat to 325 and continue to cook another 45 minutes.

Voila!



Can also add chopped nuts and/or shredded unsweetened coconut to the top before baking.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a serious improvement over boxed/canned dump cake. I hope to try your version out this week. Thank you for sharing!

Fille de la Lune said...

Excellent! Enjoy :)

Sarah @ Mum In Bloom said...

This looks so yummy and I'm going to make it today. I'm so happy to find a version made from scratch!

Ginger from Pennsylvania said...

Could I use canned pineapple? And if so, what should I do with the pineapple juice?