Favorites Go In, What Comes Out?: Almond-Coconut Cake with Cherries and Pistachios

When I saw a photo of an Almond-Coconut Cake with Cherries and Pistachios from Honey & Co. in my Instagram feed from Milk Street, I knew I had to give it a try (especially because Milk Street was offering free access to the recipe for a limited time; I don't have a subscription to access Milk Street's paid content). Almonds, coconut, cherries, and pistachios are all on my list of favorite things. And even though it wasn't cherry season yet (the Instagram post was from late April), the recipe says you could use frozen cherries, so I didn't have to wait. 

You can make this cake batter by hand. You whisk together eggs, sugar, brown sugar, and almond extract; incorporate cooled, melted butter; and mix in the dry ingredients (almond flour, all-purpose flour, shredded unsweetened coconut; baking powder, and salt). You transfer the batter into a parchment-lined 9-inch cake pan and sprinkle on halved cherries (I used frozen cherries that I defrosted and patted dry), pistachios, and sugar (I used coarse sugar instead of regular granulated) before baking.

I topped the cake with a little powdered sugar before serving. This cake was okay. While I really liked the pistachios and cherries on top, I thought the cake itself lacked flavor, and the texture wasn't particularly great. The coconut was surprisingly subtle, and I wished that there were some bits of almond paste or something else in the batter to boost the almond flavor or just make the cake more interesting. I don't think this cake would be enjoyable without the fruit and nuts on top. I'm glad I gave the recipe a try, but I wouldn't make the cake again.

Recipe: "Almond-Coconut Cake with Cherries and Pistachios" from Honey & Co.: The Cookbook by Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer. I used this adaptation from Milk Street; epicurious.com has another adaptation that is significantly different -- I have no idea which is closer to the original.