The Cake, Version 3.0

By this point, it should be evident that I adore The Cake. It's an amazingly adaptable recipe. Even as I prepared Versions 2.0 and 2.1 (pears instead of apples, then pears with crystallized ginger), I started looked forward to summer variations. Last night, I made The Cake Version 3.0: cherries. I used about 2 cups of quartered, pitted cherries. Instead of 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract, I used 2 teaspoons of almond extract and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. The glaze is the usual glaze I've been using for The Cake; for some reason, this batch came out thinner and shinier than usual.

Version 3.0 is extremely good. Chocolate and cherries are a great match, natch. And although I was slightly worried about pairing nutmeg and cinnamon with almond, the worries were unfounded. This chameleon of cakes rolls with whatever is tossed at it. I think it's safe to say that a raspberry edition will be in the works in a few weeks.