Sugar Cakes!!

This weekend I decided to make two more sugar cakes...well one sugar cake and one variation on the sugar cake.

First, I wanted to make a sugar cake, with brown sugar and cinnamon just so that I could write down the exact amounts of canned milk, butter and brown sugar to use. I think next time I need to add just a little bit more canned milk to make sure the whole cake is gooey and moist. Also, I put the brown sugar and cinnamon directly on the cake, then added the pats of butter and then the canned milk. I think the cake is much more moist when I add the butter first. All good things to know and now I have a good idea on exact amounts for in the future.

For the second cake, I decided to go in a different direction. I made the cake base as usual, but instead of adding cinnamon, I wanted to add a cherry topping. The cake base still had brown sugar and butter and canned milk, but I did decrease the amount of sugar since the cherry topping already had some sugar in it. I wasn't sure when the best time to add the topping would be, but I decided to add it after the cake was completely cooked. The cherry topping consisted of dark sweet cherries, sugar and cornstarch to thicken the mixture so that it is the consistency of cherry pie filling.

Both cakes turned out well, but I will be sure to add just a little bit more canned milk to the regular cinnamon sugar cake. And both cakes taste even better when warmed in the microwave for 15 seconds. I am thinking I will try to make creme anglais and see how that complements my sugar cakes. It might make for a great topping, or even just a great part of the plate presentation.

Here is my cherry filling:
16oz frozen dark sweet pitted cherries, cut into quarters
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch

Bring the cherries and water to a boil and cook until tender. In a separate bowl, stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Add the sugar and cornstarch mixture to the cherries and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.