Cherry Cream Crumb Cake |Cooking With Amanda

Summer produce is some of my very favorite. Strawberries, blueberries, stone fruit, oh my! But when I scan the farmers market looking for fresh seasonal fruits, it's the appearance of cherries that really make my heart skip a beat. Each year as those plump, red cherries begin to arrive in the markets I'm heartbroken because at a whopping $7.00 a pound I can't start scooping them right up.

I not-so-patiently wait, each week looking longingly at those little gems. But as the season moves on and cherries become an abundance, I jump for joy as that price steadily drops to a more affordable price. At that point, you better believe I'm buying a ton of them!

Cherries aren't something that last long in our house. My girls devour them with a ravenous appetite you wouldn't believe belongs to such little people. As for me, I'm more prone to turning my cherries into baked goods or desserts. My all-time favorite cherry recipe is by far my cherry chocolate Eton mess. Homemade vanilla bean meringues are crumbled and tucked in between layers of drunken Amaretto cherries, chopped dark chocolate and fresh whipped cream. It's utterly aaaah-mazing!

As far as cherry baked goods go, this cherry cream crumb cake has skyrocketed to the very top of the list at our house. Moist, dense loaf cake is topped with dollops of sweetened cream cheese, sweet fresh cherries and a hearty sprinkle of crumb topping.

This little loaf isn't overly sweet which makes it perfect for a special breakfast treat. It's equally fantastic in the afternoon with a cup of coffee or tea. You'll want a nice thick slice of this sweet cherry bread no matter when you dig into it. I'm sure much like our home, this crumb cake won't last long in your house either.

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Cherry Cream Crumb Cake Recipe

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Ingredients

For the Batter:

2/3 cup cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
2 large egg whites, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature

For the Crumb Topping:

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

For the Cream Cheese Mixture:

1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

For Topping:

1 cup fresh sweet cherries, pitted and halved

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray two 8x4-inch loaf pans with nonstick spray containing flour. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together cream cheese and butter until well blended. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add egg, egg whites, vanilla extract and almond extract. Beat until well combined.
In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
With the mixer running on low, alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Evenly divide batter between prepared loaf pans.
Make the crumb topping by mixing together the flour and sugar and stirring in the melted butter until mixture is crumbly. Set aside.
In another small bowl, mix together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Drop small spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture over the top of the loaves. Place halved cherries on top of the cream cheese dollops and sprinkle crumb topping over top of loaves.
Bake in preheated oven for 60-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each loaf comes out clean.
Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack before removing from pans.