Cherry Almond Cake

 Well, waking up to another brisk start to the day makes me wonder when spring is really coming to stay.

I was surprised to find at the store these lucious cherries so early in the season.  So I dug out my cherry picker 

and figured it was 

                                                    Cherry Almond Cake

This cake requires minimal effort to put together, less than 15 minutes of prep time, with NO MIXER NEEDED.  The perfect cake for your Mother's Day celebration.
Cook's Notes: For the cake:16-20 sweet cherries, pitted and halved, use 16 if the cherries are very large. You will need a cherry pitter or a long skewer to pit the cherries. The recipe was adapted from thecafesucrefain
Ingredients:

• 16-20 sweet cherries
• ½ cup plain yogurt or Greek yogurt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup almond flour
• 1 teaspoon Saigon cinnamon
• ½ cup mild-flavored oil such as sunflower, grapeseed, avocado, canola, etc.
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon almond extract

Directions:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray an 8-inch round cake pan with baking spray. Set aside.
• Pit the cherries and cut each one in half (or quarters if the cherries are very large). Place a length of doubled paper towels on a work surface. Spread the cherries out on paper towels, then roll them up lightly to absorb some of the excess juice. Keep the cherries rolled up until ready to use.
• In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, and extracts until nice and smooth.
• Sprinkle the baking powder and salt over the top and whisk to combine. Add the flour and whisk just until incorporated.
• Add the oil and whisk well. Don’t worry, at first it will seem to separate, but keep stirring until smooth.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Sprinkle the cherries, cut side down, over the top to within ½ inch of the sides of the pan.
• Bake for 25-27 minutes or until the cake feels springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. You can also use an instant thermometer inserted into the center of the cake to test doneness.
• Cool the cake on a cooling rack for 5 minutes; then invert it out of the pan onto the rack. Dust with powdered sugar, serve, and enjoy.