This recipe has been in the family for years!  I’m sure a lot of you have made it or have had it; but it is a favorite of mine so I thought I would share!  I’ve also used blueberry pie filling in place of cherry; but since George liked cherries, it is cherries today!

Another fun fact while I was reading about George Washington this morning was that he loved fish.  He ate fish almost everyday, even for breakfast with his hoe cakes.  Hoe cakes are on the same order as a pancake; but use ground up corn in place of wheat flour.  He also loved his wife’s Whisky cake and of course cherry pie!

CHERRY DELIGHT:

Mix together and press in a 9×13 inch pan.

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup melted butter

Then cream together using a mixer:

16 oz. cream cheese

3 cups powdered sugar

2 cups whipped cream

Spread this over the graham cracker crust and top with 2 cans of cherry pie filling.  Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.  Overnight is best though!

Happy Birthday George!

Chef Kathy

I love cherries!  Fresh cherries are great just washed and eaten raw.  Then there is cherry pie filling…I love it!  I just think they could put a few more cherries in the can though!  When we were kids, we used to put cherry pie filling on ice cream! 

My Grandma used to can Bing cherries, they are really good; however when I found out how much sugar was in the syrup, I stopped eating them!

The cherry is one of the worlds oldest cultivated fruits, along with its cousin, the apricot.  Cultivation dates back to 300 B.C.

The common cherry tree is native to eastern Europe and western Asia and is part of the rose family.

The name “cherry” originally was formed in the Greek language and in Latin means “of or for the birds” due to the birds love of the fruit.

The Egyptians, Greeks and Romans loved the cherry tree for its beautiful flowers and tasty fruit.

90 percent of the cherry crop is grown in the United States.  Mostly in Michigan, California, Oregon and Washington.

The most popular variety is the Bing cherry, which was developed in Oregon in 1875.

There are now thousands of varieties and most of the cherry crop is picked by hand!

Here is a CHERRY LEGEND that I found interesting…click on the highlighted link to read!

Japan has gifted the United States with thousands of cherry trees over the years as a gesture of friendship.  These trees are planted at the Capital in Washington D.C.

My favorite recipe using cherries is this CHERRY ALMOND COFFEE CAKE!  My friend Paula, first introduced it to me on my 21st birthday.  I have making it on a regular basis ever since!  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!  Thanks Paula

PAULA’S CHERRY ALMOND COFFEE CAKE:

Topping
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup  All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup Butter Flavor Crisco

1/2 cup sliced almonds

Cake
3/4 cup Butter Flavor Crisco

1 -1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3  eggs
3 cups Flour
1 -1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 -1/2 cups  sour cream
1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling

Glaze
Milk
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 13×9-inch pan with no-stick cooking spray.

Topping:
In a small bowl combine sugar and flour ; mix in shortening until crumbly.

Cake:
In the bowl of an electric mixer beat together shortening, sugar and vanilla extract; add eggs, beating well.

In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt; add to mixture alternately with sour cream. Spread half the batter in prepared pan. Cover with half the cherry pie filling, spreading as evenly as possible. Repeat layers.

Sprinkle with almonds and topping mixture.

Bake 50 minutes or until top is brown and wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool until slightly warm or to room temperature.

Glaze:
In a small bowl add enough milk (about 1 tablespoon) to confectioners’ sugar to make desired consistency. Stir in almond extract. Drizzle over cake.

Enjoy and Happy National Cherry month

Chef Kathy