This dessert reminds me of being back home in Scotland. In fact I slightly adapted the recipe from one of my Jamie Oliver books. The traditional version of this recipe is called Eve's Pudding and hasstewed apples in it. I used cherries and made them a little bit more bossy, you might say I sassedthose cherries up. Sorry Eve darlin', my Cherry Sponge Cake isway tastier than your apples.
I remember making trays upon trays of those Eve's puddings in my very first bakery job. They were all made by hand, literally. I'd scoop the apple from a giant bowl and dump them in the foil trays. Another baker would follow me with the sponge mix and then they'd get baked in the oven until golden brown. But, let's get back to the cherries. You've probably seen them in the store and the price is becoming way more recipe friendly than a few weeks ago. Also my kids are knocking them back like peanuts at a ball game which is awesome because they're so good for you! Cherries are more than 75% water and practically fat free...unlike myself.
Once they've become soft, add the sponge cake mixture on top and bake it. Keep to the Brits tradition and eat this warm with a huge dollop of vanilla ice cream and let it getall melty over that sponge. Warm custard would be even better to use but harder to findhere in the U.S. Custard is really just the same as pastry cream which makes me chuckle a bit, because you'd never try to eat a bowl of pastry cream on it's own but eating a bowl of custard is no biggie across the pond.
You can use a pie pan if you don't have a skillet. Make sure to place it on a baking sheet in the oven to prevent spills.
Serve this dessert warm with ice cream or custard to enjoy it at its best.
Adapted from Jamie Oliver
