Honey & Co.’s Cherry, Pistachio and Coconut Cake
Image by © Patricia Niven 2014
This was the first cake I made for the restaurant. We wanted something that would sit on the bar counter and just make people stare. It has been with us from the first day and I have a feeling it will stay there until the end. We do vary the fruit on top, so we use red plums or yellow plums or raspberries, but really the cherries are the best version. The contrast between the cherries and the green pistachios, and the addition of mahleb to the cake batter, together create something electric. It is such an easy recipe to follow, I am sure it will become a huge favorite in any household.
- Honey & Co.’s
- Read a review of the “Honey & Co.” cookbook
Makes a 9-inch diameter ring cake
½ cup sugar, plus 1½ tablespoons for the topping
⅓ cup light brown sugar
1¼ cup ground almonds
¼ cup ground pistachios
½ cup desiccated coconut
⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon self-rising flour (preferably Gold Medal brand)
A pinch of salt
1¼ teaspoon ground mahleb (a spice available in Middle Eastern markets)
10 tablespoons butter, melted
3 large eggs
2 cups cherries
Scant ½ cup roughly chopped pistachios, for the topping
1) Preheat the oven to 375° F and lightly grease a 9-inch diameter ring cake tin with butter.
2) Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour over the melted butter and mix in the eggs. Spoon the batter into the pre-greased tin and smooth down.
3) Remove the pits from the cherries — you can do this with a cherry pitter or by just pulling them apart and popping the pits out with your fingers. I like to do this over the cake tin, so that any juice drips onto the cake and adds color. Drop the pitted cherries onto the batter and sprinkle the top of the cake with the remaining 1½ tablespoon of sugar and the roughly chopped pistachios. Bake in the center of the oven for 25–30 minutes, then turn the cake around and bake for a further 8–10 minutes, until the cake between the cherries goes all golden.
4) Allow the cake to cool in the tin, as it needs time to settle, then gently remove by running a knife around the edges. Covered well, it will keep in the fridge for up to a week (not much chance of that happening), but for the best flavor, allow it to return to room temperature before eating.
Recipe courtesy Little, Brown and Company. Copyright© Saritamar Media Limited 2014
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
