Whenever we go food and cook ware shopping in the Richmond District, we try to go to Green Apple Books before hitting Richmond New May Wah and Kamei House Wares. They’re all near one another on Clement Street, which makes it convenient so long as we’ve scheduled enough time.

Rainier cherry almond cake

Time is an issue as we both get lost in the labyrinth that is Green Apple. That used bookstore has got to be one of the best in San Francisco. Steven goes directly to the fiction and history sections and I immerse myself in the cookbooks. I like to look at old cookbooks books just to see what people were eating at certain earlier points in time. It’s also cool to look at the book binding styles, formats, writing styles and so on. Old books are fun! I particularly like those books printed in glossy paper that’s turned yellowish and it seems that the pictures and lettering have somehow faded and blurred, just like an old tattoo on someone who had a wild youth. These books have a Zen look; you know, that feel of beautiful decay.

I saw this almond cake recipe in one of those out of focus well used books. The bad thing is that I don’t recall the name of the book or the author’s name, so I can’t give it here.

I think that this cake is perfect for people who don’t like their desserts to be overly sweet. It turned out yummy. We had it as a dessert for a dinner party then ate the leftovers for breakfast.

fresh Rainier cherries

Rainier cherry almond cake

Dry ingredients:

1 cup flour
½ cup rice flour
1½ cups powdered sugar
¾ cup blanched slivered almonds, pulverized in food processor

Wet ingredients:

1 cup freshly grated coconut (or dried)
3 sticks salted butter (nuked in the microwave for a minute or so to melt)
8 egg whites
1½ lbs pitted fresh cherries, cut in halves (I used Rainier cherries)

Pre-heat oven to 375F.

Mix dry ingredients together.
Pour melted butter and egg whites over it. Whisk to combine. Add coconut and mix until it’s all incorporated.

Transfer batter to a greased baking dish. I used a 10 inch round glass pan, 2 inch deep. It should fill the dish about ¾ full. Depending of the size of the eggs you might end up with extra batter. If that happens, put the rest in another dish and bake separately. You can also use a larger pan and add more cherries to the top. The thinner the layer of cake the less time it will take to bake it. Place cherries halves on top, cut side down.

Bake for about 50 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center. If it comes out clean then it is ready. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 8 minutes. To remove from dish, slide a knife around the border to release the cake then turn it upside down on a kitchen towel and then turn it over to a cooling rack.

Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

I used the egg yolks in a different recipe to make this delicious Brazilian quindim.