Brandied Cherry Valentine Cake

We don’t really celebrate Valentine’s around here.  I do send out a few cards, more to keep in touch than to actually celebrate Valentines and Jeff and I will call each other valentine, but that’s about it.  I do, however; use the day as an excuse to pull out my heart shaped cake pans.  As my valentine gift to all of you, I’m sharing a new recipe, Brandied Cherry Cake:

Brandied Cherry Cake

• 1 Cup Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 Half-Pint Jar Brandied Cherries
• 1 1/2 Cups Flour
• 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour your pans or use cupcake papers.  Drain your cherries, reserving the brandy.  Pit and chop the cherries.  Sift together the flour and baking powder.

Cream the butter and sugar, add the eggs mixing well.  Add your flour and baking powder mixture a little at a time, alternating with the reserved brandy.  Mix until everything is well incorporated.  Fold in the chopped cherries and pour into your prepared pans.  Bake until toothpick comes out clean.  Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto racks to cool completely. 

After cool, frost as desired.  I used Baker’s One Bowl Chocolate Frosting Recipe, however; I always use a little less sugar and milk just because I like it on the slightly bitter side versus the overly sweet side of frosting.

Notes: I was able to make two 5″ heart cakes and four cupcakes with this recipe.  You could easily make two eight inch layers, but they’d be on the thin side.  I’m guessing it would about make 12 regular sized cupcakes.  I believe that you could easily substitute 1/2 cup chopped cherries if you don’t have brandied cherries and about 1/2 cup cherry juice or milk for the brandy.