Visits to one of my childhood friends always concluded with a snack chosen carefully from the white bakery box tied up with string, sitting temptingly on the kitchen counter. My hand hovered over the selection of fruit tartlets on offer, switching back and forth undecidedly between the mini pastries filled with tangy lemon curd, mounds of glossy, deep purple blueberries or lustrous ruby-red cherries. Inevitably I always picked the cherry tartlet, unable to resist the large dollop of canned cherry pie filling nestled invitingly in a crumbly, flaky crust.
Cherry Shortcake Squares
Shauna Sever uses canned cherry pie filling unrepentantly in this recipe for cherry squares in her excellent baking book, Midwest Made: Big, Bold Baking from the Heartland. The cherries, carefully placed on the thick cake batter, sink slightly as it bakes forming a sweet-tart counterpoint to the lemony shortcake. Visually striking, the cherries look like crimson stained glass windows set in a snowy background. This is an easy cake that can be put together in minutes and can serve a crowd generously.
Note that this cake batter does not include leavening agents such as baking powder or baking soda in its list of ingredients. The rise of the cake comes from carefully creaming the butter or margarine and sugar for a full 5 minutes with an electric mixer. Creaming the butter and sugar causes the sugar crystals to punch little holes in the butter; these holes capture air. The butter or margarine should not be at room temperature but on the cooler side, between 60-65 F., for best results. Adding the eggs from the fridge will also help maintain the cooler temperature of the butter or margarine. I stayed faithful to the recipe as written by Ms. Sever except for the addition of the grated rind of a whole lemon which brightens the cake and adds an additional flavor dimension.
Assemble your ingredients. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray a 10X15 inch or 12X17 inch rimmed baking sheet or pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
Grate the rind of the lemon and add to the sugar. Rub the lemon rind into the sugar using your fingers. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the “coolish” butter or margarine, and sugar, on medium-high speed using the flat beater for five minutes, until light and fluffy. As mentioned above, there are no added leaveners in this cake. Whatever rise takes place is from beating the butter/margarine and sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time, waiting 30 seconds between adding each egg. Beat in the lemon juice, vanilla and salt. Scrape down the bowl. Beat again for one minute. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add in the flour. When there are just a few noticeable streaks of flour left in the bowl, stop the mixer and complete the mixing by hand, with a spatula.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top using an offset spatula if you have one. Using a toothpick or a skewer, score the batter into 24 squares (4 columns and 6 rows). These lines are just to guide you in the placement of the cherries. The lines will disappear when the cake bakes. Using a teaspoon, remove the cherries one or two at a time from the can, leaving most of the cherry “goo” behind, and place three cherries in the center of each square. Bake until a toothpick placed in the cake comes out clean, between 30 and 40 minutes (this took 40 minutes in my oven). The cake will appear light golden when done.
Cut into 24 squares and dust liberally with icing sugar. Store any leftovers in an airtight container between layers of parchment paper. These squares also freeze beautifully.
Cherry Shortcake Squares
Glossy, crimson cherries set in a lemony shortcake and dusted with a snowy layer of icing sugar.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter OR margarine (2 sticks), slightly cooler than room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- Grated rind of a whole lemon
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 21-ounce can cherry pie filling
- Icing sugar for dusting
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place rack in the center of the oven. Grease and line a half-sheet pan (12x17 inches with a 1" rim) or a 10X15 inch pan with cooking spray then line with parchment paper.
Grate the rind of a whole lemon. Combine the lemon rind and sugar and rub the mixture with your fingers.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter or margarine, and sugar, together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. This should take a full five minutes. Then beat in eggs one at a time. Beat each egg for 30 seconds before adding another egg. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the lemon juice, vanilla, and salt until combined. With the mixer on its lowest speed, mix in the flour slowly, until just barely combined. You don't want to overmix. Mix the rest by hand with a spatula.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth with a spatula until it's a nice, even layer. Using a toothpick or skewer, score the batter to create 24 squares (they'll disappear once they bake). Using a teaspoon, place 3 cherries in the center of each square. (Leave behind as much of the cherry pie "goo" in the can as possible).
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before cutting. Cut into 24 even squares. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container between layers of parchment paper.
Notes
These squares freeze beautifully stored in an airtight container. Separate the layers of squares with sheets of wax paper or parchment.
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