SundaySupper is the reason for this blog – I first came across SundaySupper on Twitter and joined the chat each week, posting the occasional picture. Despite the huge number of tweets coming in, Isabel still replied personally to me and invited me to be part of the movement.
At first, I panicked. I was a travel blogger, not a food blogger – and I made things up as I went along in the kitchen. But I realized, that’s what this was all about. So, inspired and encouraged by the fantastic blogs of other contributors, Happy Baking Days was born.
Since then, I have been baking more and more, finding an excuse to indulge in something I love. It keeps me happy, and certainly keeps my nearest and dearest sweet! I can’t stick to a recipe and I love inventing things, so in food blogging, I’ve really found my niche!
To celebrate one year of SundaySupper, we were asked to choose a recipe by another member of the group. I chose a stunning Cherry tart. This cake is popular in many culinary traditions and can be found in various forms worldwide, from the classic French cherry tart recipe to American cherry pies.
However, I didn’t follow the regular cherry tart recipe. Instead, I added cocoa to the pastry dough and made the custard filling the British way, heating the cream first and adding an extra egg yolk. I hope you enjoy it!
Before showing my simple recipe, do you know that there is a national cherry tart day in the US? This dessert is celebrated on June 17th, a delightful occasion that aligns perfectly with the peak of cherry season, when these luscious fruits are at their prime.
And here is how to make cherry tarts.
Cherry Tart for a Special Birthday
Ingredients
For the dough
- 125 g butter melted and cooled
- 90 g caster sugar
- 170 g plain flour I used a gluten-free blend
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp ground almonds
For the filling
- 200 ml double cream
- 2 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk lightly beaten.
- 50 g caster sugar
- A few drops vanilla extract
- 300 g cherries canned, fresh, or frozen
Instructions
- Grease a pie dish and preheat the oven to 180oC.
- Mix the butter and caster sugar, then add the flour, cocoa powder and half the ground almonds. Stir until you have a ball of dough.
- Press the dough into the dish with your fingertips, making sure that it is even and not too thick. Bake for about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, halve and pit the cherries.
- Remove the pastry case from the oven and lower the oven temperature to about 150oC.
- Sprinkle the remaining ground almonds over the pastry base.
- To make the custard, put the cream in a pan and gently heat over a low temperature until warmed through. Whisk the eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract together in a jug until light and frothy. Slowly pour the cream onto this mixture, continuing to whisk all the time.
- Place the cherries into the pastry case, then pout over the custard. Return to the oven for about 40 mins, but keep an eye on it. You want to keep a slight wobble in the center.
