Cherry, pistachio and coconut cake

This deliciously moist middle-eastern Cherry, pistachio and coconut cake will not last a week in the fridge, despite the fact that it keeps that well. One slice and it will quickly disappear!! Best of all it’s really easy to make and will impress any guest.

 

Ingredients

• ½ cup sugar, plus 1½ tablespoons for the topping
• ⅓ cup light brown sugar
• 1¼ cup ground almonds
• ¼ cup ground pistachios
• ½ cup desiccated coconut
• ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon self-rising flour (preferably Gold Medal brand)
•  pinch of salt
• 1¼ teaspoon ground mahleb (a spice available in Middle Eastern markets but I used 2 inches cinnamon stick, three cloves and a bay leaf ground together)
• 10 tbsp butter, melted
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups cherries
• ½ cup roughly chopped pistachios, for the topping

Method

1. Make sure top oven is set at 200ºC.  Lightly grease a 9-inch diameter ring cake tin with butter.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour over the melted butter and mix in the eggs. Spoon the batter into the pre-greased tin and smooth down.
3. Remove the stones from the cherries — you can do this with a cherry pitter or by just pulling them apart and popping the stones out with your fingers. Do over the cake tin to catch the juice drips and add colour. Drop the pitted cherries onto the batter and sprinkle the top of the cake with the remaining 1½ tbsp of sugar and the roughly chopped pistachios. Bake in the centre of the oven for 25–30 minutes, then turn the cake around and bake for a further 8–10 minutes, until the cake between the cherries goes all golden.
4. Allow the cake to cool in the tin, as it needs time to settle, then gently remove by running a knife around the edges. Covered well, it will keep in the fridge for up to a week, but for the best flavour, allow it to return to room temperature before eating.