Cherry Slices Recipe

Cherry Slices

from Sugar, Sugar - every recipe has a story
by Kimberly Reiner and Jenna Sanz-Agero

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (21-ounce) can cherry pie filling
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, for dusting

This and many other wonderful recipes may be found in Sugar, Sugar
from Andrews McNeel Puplishing

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 11 by 17-inch rimmed baking sheet (or use nonstick cooking spray). Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place the butter and both sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix on low speed until well blended. Add the vanilla. Add the flour mixture, a little at a time, and beat until smooth. Reserve 1 cup of the batter.

Spread the remaining batter in the baking sheet. Spoon the cherry filling over the top. Drop the reserved cup of batter by teaspoonfuls over the pie filling. It should look uneven. When baked, the batter on the bottom rises and creates reservoirs of cherry filling.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the batter begins to turn golden. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Cut into 2-inch squares.

Submitted by Elisa Kletecka Allan
From her grandmother Marie Eleanor Vorel Kletecka's recipe, Rockford, Illinois

"This recipe is from my dad, who got it from his mom ... whose cake stand I covet and wedding band I cherish."

Elisa vividly remembers her grandmother Marie, a butcher's daughter, from the south side of Chicago. Marie's parents crossed the Atlantic by boat from Czechoslovakia (Bohemia) and settled in Illinois at the time of the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. Marie grew up living above the family butcher shop, where she also raised her son and daughter.

When Elisa was 10 years old, her parents divorced. The following year, Elisa and her father, Edward, went to live with his mother, who provided a stable and loving environment. Marie was a stoic life force—the glue that held the family together during a tumultuous time. Marie passed away when Elisa was 13. In the hospital, her tiny engraved platinum wedding band, dated June 24,1933, was cut away from her finger. Elisa's dad presented her with the ring, advising her to have it repaired. Refusing to alter it, Elisa wears the heirloom (still severed) on her ring finger daily, with the cut on the palm side of her hand. She is very mindful of it so it doesn't catch on anything. It serves as a constant memento of her grandmother.

Before Elisa married, she began collecting cake stands. She became aware of a white milk glass cake stand her father had inherited from Marie, with the edges trimmed in kelly green. She had never seen anything like it before. She asked her father, Edward, if she could have it, and he said yes, but... not yet.

At Elisa's request, Edward served these Cherry Slices at her wedding shower in honor of Marie.