Mom's Cherry Cake

This was Mother-in-laws favorite dessert to make. I haven't found anyone who likes cherries who doesn't like this cake and doesn't ask for the recipe after trying it. It is very unusual compared to other cake recipes.

Cherry Cake

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup shortening
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 can sour pitted cherries (good brand is best)
• drained reserving juice for sauce
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream shortening, eggs and sugar together in a mixing bowl. Sift all dry ingredients together. Add to cream mixture, alternately with milk. Blend just until well mixed. Add well drained cherries and nuts, fold them in. Pour into a greased and floured 9x13 inch baking dish. Bake 40 minutes or until done.

Cherry Cake Sauce

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 2 Tbsp. corn starch
• 1 cup Water
• Cherry juice reserved from cherries
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Directions

Mix sugar, salt and cornstarch in medium sized sauce pan. Mix in cherry juice and water. Stir constantly on medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook for approximately 10 minutes or until it begins to thicken and no longer tastes like cornstarch. Remove from heat. Then add almond extract. Serve immediately over individual slices of cake. Cake does NOT need to be warm.

Reserve any remaining sauce in refrigerator for later use. The taste will NOT be the same when re-heated but will taste good anyway. ONLY re-heat as much as you need per serving.

By Roxanne from Terre Haute, Indiana