Almond Cake with Bay-Poached Queen Anne Cherries

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• Pinch of nutmeg
• 4 large fresh eggs
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup almond meal
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• Bay-Poached Queen Anne Cherries, for accompaniment (recipe follows)
• Creme fraiche, for serving
• 1 quart Queen Anne or Rainier cherries, pitted and halved
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Pinch of Kosher salt
• 2 fresh bay leaves, torn in half
• 1/4 cup white wine

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch cake pan or 8 6-ounce ramekins and set aside.
3. In a stand mixer, or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer, cream together the olive oil, butter, salt, and sugar.
4. When well combined, add a pinch of nutmeg, about 5 swipes of a whole nutmeg on a grater.
5. Continue to beat on high speed until the mixture lightens nearly to white and almost doubles in size.
6. It should almost resemble a meringue in texture at this point.
7. Scrape down the bowl.
8. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time.
9. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla, and almond meal and mix to combine.
10. Add the flour and beat just until incorporated.
11. Pour the batter into the prepared pan or divide among the ramekins and place on the center rack in the oven.
12. Bake for 1 hour, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out completely clean.
13. For the ramekins, bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
14. Allow to cool in the pan set on a wire rack.
15. When the cake is completely cool, run a sharp knife around the perimeter of the cake and turn out onto a platter or cake plate.
16. Serve with the bay-poached cherries and a dollop of creme fraiche.
17. Combine the cherries, sugar, salt, and bay leaves in a bowl and allow to macerate for at least 30 minutes, or until the juices begin to come out of the cherries.
18. Place the mixture in the top of a double boiler or heatproof bowl and set over gently simmering water.
19. Add the wine and stir to combine.
20. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the cherries soften and the liquid becomes thick and syrupy.
21. Remove from the heat and allow the cherries to cool in their liquid.
22. Serve with almond cake and creme fraiche.

extravirgin olive oil, unsalted butter, kosher salt, sugar, nutmeg, eggs, lemon, lemon juice, vanilla, almond meal, allpurpose, baypoached queen, creme fraiche, queen, sugar, salt, bay leaves, white wine

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/almond-cake-with-bay-poached-queen-anne-cherries-383951 (may not work)