National Cherry Day

Tomorrow is the first British Cherry Day, a rallying cry to get the cherry out of a jam and back on top. In the past 50 years England has lost 90% of its cherry orchards and now imports about 95% of its cherries.

 

I love, love, love cherries! and hate the fact that the season is so short (although I use it as an excuse for over-consumption, not good I know!).

This will be my birthday cake next weekend…but you can try it out beforehand while cherries are still cheap and plentiful. This is a family favourite recipe that has been seriously tinkered with to make bariatric-friendly. It still has some fat…so gastric bypass patients don’t overdose on it, but the calories and sugars have been severely cut….I don’t think you’ll notice!

 

Another recipe cherry-picked for you!

 

FRESH CHERRY SPONGE

 

Ingredients

Metric/US

Frylight or other low-fat cooking spray

150g self-raising flour with 1 tsp baking powder/11/2 cups all-purpose flour sifted with 21/2 tsp baking powder

8 tbsp/10 tbsp Splenda granulated sweetener

3 tbsp/4 tbsp dried skimmed milk powder

2 tbsp ground rice

2 eggs, beaten

7 tbsp/generous 1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 tbsp/1/4 cup skimmed milk mixed with 6 tbsp/1/2 cup water

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

250g/8 oz o% fat Greek yogurt

400g/14 oz fresh British cherries, pitted and halved

1 tbsp sifted icing sugar/confectioner’s sugar to dust (optional)

a few whole cherries to decorate

 

Method

1.  Preheat the oven to 180 C/350 F/gas mark 4. Line the bases of 2 x 18 cm/7 inch round cake tins/pans and spritz the sides with low-fat cooking spray.

2.  Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Stir in the Splenda, dried milk and ground rice. Add the eggs, oil, milk with water, vanilla and salt. Mix this into the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon. The mixture should have a soft dropping consistency, if not, add another 1 tbsp water. Divide and spoon into the prepared tins/pans.

3.  Bake for 25 minutes or until  skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool in the tins/pans for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

4.  When cold, spread the top of one cake with the yogurt and scatter over the cherries. Top with the remaining cake to sandwich together. Dust the top with icing/confectioner’s sugar if liked and decorate with a few whole cherries.

 

SERVES 8

WLS PORTION: 1/2

V  suitable for Vegetarians

*  sponge cake can be frozen before filling

 

Calories per portion:  274

Protein:  8.8g

Carbohydrate:  27.9g

Fat:  14.1 g

 

Image courtesy of Waitrose