Anna Sultana's Cherry Pound Cake for Valentine’s Day / Full Snow Moon

We’ll be having a full moon this weekend - the Full Snow Moon, to be exact.

It will signal the end of the Chinese New Year festivities, which folks have been celebrating over the past two weeks. But, all good things come to an end, and now people are eating leftovers and getting ready for the Lantern Festival. 

After that it’s back to normal - whatever that is.

The Full Snow Moon will be the fourth-largest and fourth-brightest full moon this year. 

It’s called the Snow Moon because of the heavy snowfall we usually get in February. 

Yes, I know that doesn’t apply to folks everywhere, but that is it’s traditional name.

It will be considered a supermoon by some, since the Moon will be closer than normal. 

Some would disagree, as April’s full Moon is the true supermoon of 2020.

I know… it’s always something.

If you’re feeling sad because the Chinese New Year festivities are drawing to a close, Valentine's Day is this Friday.

This post has links for Romantic Dinners for Two, as well as the recipe for Anna Sultana's Lava Cakes.

Those recipes - or a reservation at a nice restaurant - will take care of the big day.

But we still have to eat during the next week, and it might be nice to eat something with a bit of holiday flare to it.

Hints:

Want to make this for St. Patrick’s Day? Use green candied cherries.

This is a traditional recipe for Christmas in Newfoundland.

If you’re planning on serving it for Christmas, it would be festive to have a mixture of green and red cherries.

To make a Chocolate Chip Pound Cake just replace the almond extract with vanilla and use regular or miniature chocolate chips instead of the cherries.

Do not over bake or the cake will be dry.

To store, tightly wrap the cake in one layer of foil or two layers of plastic wrap, or place it in a heavy-duty freezer bag. It can be frozen up to one month. 

When ready to serve, remove it from the freezer and let thaw, wrapped, at room temperature overnight. Once thawed, remove the wrap and serve.

                        Cherry Pound Cake

                        

Grease and flour a 12-cup bundt or tube pan 

Well drain and quarter

1 to 2 cups red maraschino cherries

Place them in a medium bowl and toss with 

1/4 Cup flour

Set aside.

In a medium bowl combine

2 3/4 Cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Set aside.

Place in a large mixer bowl

1 1/4 Cups butter, softened

2 3/4 Cups sugar

5 large eggs

1 teaspoon almond extract

Beat at low speed until the mixture is blended, then at high speed for 5 minutes, until it is light and fluffy.

Preheat oven to 350º F

Add dry ingredients to mixture alternately with

1 Cup evaporated milk

(3 dry, 2 liquid additions)

Mix lightly after each addition.

Fold in the quartered cherries.

Turn batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 55 minutes.

Cover loosely with foil and continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Let cool in pan for 5 minutes.

Turn cake out onto cooling rack and let cool completely.

Just before serving dust with

confectioners’ sugar (optional)