Cakes:

Cherry Strudel

Comment on this recipe

Ingredients

1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1-1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
4 cups pitted, tart, fresh or frozen, thawed cherries
1/3 cup water
2 teaspoons grated lemon or orange zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 sheets phyllo pastry, thawed if frozen
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

Instructions

To prepare filling, in a medium saucepan, mix together sugar, brown sugar and cornstarch. Stir in cherries, water, zest and vanilla. Cook over medium heat until bubbling and thickened. Reduce heat to low add allspice and cinnamon, and cook stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Cool completely. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a baking sheet. To prepare pastry, unfold sheets of phyllo so they lie flat. Stack 4 sheets on plastic wrap. Brush top sheet with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Keep remaining sheets covered with plastic wrap and a damp cloth to prevent their drying out. Spread half filling along a short side of top pastry sheet. Starting with short side and using plastic wrap as a guide, roll up pastry, jelly-roll style. Fold ends under. Place strudel, seam-side down, on prepared baking sheet. Brush with 1/2 tablespoon melted butter. Repeat with remaining phyllo, melted butter and filling to make second strudel. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. Transfer strudels to a cutting board to cool completely. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

Jane Scott
Erie