Cherry Sultana Cake

I first tasted this moist delicious cake over 25 years ago. The cakes which were from Australia came in a sealed tin that you open with a can opener. I remember the cake was chock-full of moist cherries and golden raisins, not cloyingly sweet, and mildly spiked with liqueur. I don't think stores will ever sell this cake where I live; I can't even find them being sold online They are probably no longer sold in tins, I don't know. Thankfully, there are tons of recipes online and I was able to combine them to make my own moist Cherry Sultana Cake.

All the recipes I found online have glacé cherries. I used a combination of glacé and maraschino cherries and I really like the flavor. After just a few days, I cut open the small "test" cake that I baked in a disposable panettone paper cup. The cake is already oh so moist and heavenly. Yum!!!

Cherry Sultana Cake

6 tablespoons room temperature butter
2 cups sultanas
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon orange zest
¼ cup cherry liqueur or brandy
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup quartered red glacé cherries
½ cup whole red glacé cherries
½ cup quartered well-drained maraschino cherries
½ cup whole well-drained maraschino cherries
2 eggs, lightly beaten
cherry liqueur or brandy for brushing

• Place first 5 ingredients in a medium saucepan and cook over low heat for 5 minutes; do not let mixture boil. Set aside to cool.
• Preheat oven to 300°F.
• Grease bottom and sides of a 7-inch round loose bottom cake pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper cut to fit. Line sides with another cut to fit parchment paper. Brush all over with light olive or vegetable oil. Set aside.
• Whisk together dry ingredients in a small bowl.
• Stir cherries and eggs to the cooled butter mixture. Add flour mixture in 2 batches, mixing well with a rubber spatula after each addition. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 1½ hours or until cake test is done.
• Remove from pan and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Leave on the kitchen counter to cool completely overnight.
• Remove and discard aluminum foil; brush all over with cherry liqueur or brandy. Wrap in plastic cling wrap, place in freezer gallon bag and keep in refrigerator for 2 to 4 weeks, brushing with liqueur once a week.