My daughter and I love the Great British Baking Show. We love how there is no drama and it is such a light show. I always want to bake something after I watch it and now I call cake “sponge.” The sponge on this cake is delicious. Who am I kidding, the entire cake is delicious and it helped that I used the best candied cherries I could find. This recipe was found in: Firehouse Food; Cooking with San Francisco’s Firefighters and was written by Lt. Lou Bacciocco.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1 can (20 ounces) pineapple slices in heavy syrup
- 6 maraschino cherries, cut in half
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 6 eggs, separated
- 2 cups granulated sugar
Directions:
Adjust the oven rack to the center and pre-heat to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9 X 13 inch pan. Cover the bottom of the baking pan with brown sugar, pour the melted butter over the sugar. Drain the pineapple slices reserving 1/2 cup plus 2 TBS of the syrup. Place the pineapple slices over the brown sugar in even rows. Place a cherry half in each of the pineapple slice holes, facing up.
Sift together the flour and baking powder and set aside. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat the egg yolks on medium speed with the granulated sugar for 3 minutes. Add the reserved syrup and beat for 1 more minute. Stir in the flour mixture until well incorporated.
Wash and dry the mixer and beat the egg whites until stiff peaks develop (3-4 minutes on high). Using a rubber spatula, lightly fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 45 minutes, until the cake springs back when pressed.
While the cake is still hot, run a knife around the edges to loosen it from the pan, place on a platter by inverting onto the surface you will be serving the cake on. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Enjoy!
Chez Starz 