Preheat the oven to 350F/180C

Butter an 8×8/20×20 square baking pan or a 12 well-muffin tin. If you wish, you can scatter sugar over the bottom of the pan/muffin wells.

Melt the butter. I do this in 10-second bursts, using the microwave. Don’t walk away, lest the butter explode. Believe me, this is a mess you don’t want to clean up.

I put the melted butter aside on the oven while mixing up the batter.

To toast nuts, spread them in a single layer in a small pan and place over medium low heat. Toast gently, 4-5 minutes, shaking pan occasionally, paying close attention. When the scent rises, they’re done. See notes, below, for instructions on oven toasting.

To blanch nuts, drop them into a pan of boiling water for 10 seconds. Drain and rinse under cold tap. Repeat. Tip nuts on to a clean dishtowel and rub gently. Skins should come off easily.

Nuts need to be need to be broken down, but not pulverized. Various approaches are discussed in post. Ultimately I used mortar and pestle. A grinder or small processor could also be used. Put the nuts in the small bowl.

Pit the cherries. Lacking a cherry pitter, cover the cherries with an old dish towel and crush them with the flat side of a chef’s knife. Add them to the small bowl.

Add the dried fruit and extract to the bowl.

Pour the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into one of the large bowls. Mix briefly with the big spoon.

Crack the eggs. Add them to the second large bowl.

Add the sugar and dairy to the eggs and mix well. Pour the butter into the mixture, stirring all the while.

Carefully add the dry mixture to the wet. Now add the small bowl of fruits and nuts to the big bowl and stir everything together. You want the batter to be just blended; a few lumps are fine. Do not over mix.

Spoon the batter into the baking pan (or muffin tin). A flexible spatula is helpful here.

I add a final scatter of sugar across the top of the cake before putting it into the oven, but that’s optional.

Bake cake 45-50 minutes. If the top is getting to dark, lightly cover it with foil. Cake is done when tester comes out clean.

Place on rack and allow to cool completely.

Serve Cherry Cranberry Muffin Cake from the pan. It keeps at room temperature, covered with foil or plastic wrap, up to 4 days. Refrigerate up 4 days afterward, or remove from pan and wrap well in foil, plastic wrap, or a plastic freezer bag up to three months.

Notes/Theme and Variation:

The dairy element in Cherry Cranberry Muffin Cake and its many variations is variable. I use whatever is in my fridge: half-and-half, yogurt, cream. While you can use 2% or skimmed milk, the resulting cake will have a drier crumb and poorer keeping qualities. Bear in mind that cherry cranberry muffin cake contains less sugar than commercial pastry and has no processed ingredients.

Nuts may be toasted in the oven, but because the cake needs to be baked at 350F/180C, I call for stovetop toasting. To oven toast nuts, heat the oven to 325F/160C, spread nuts on a baking tray and toast 5-7 minutes.

Walnuts, pecans, or peanuts can replace the almonds. Or omit the nuts entirely.

Try baking the muffin cake with blueberries, blackberries, boysenberries, pears, plums, or apricots. Frozen fruits work, too. Pat them dry before adding to batter.

Avoid baking with strawberries, as their high water content makes baked goods sodden.

Instead of topping the muffin cake with sugar, try glazing it with a mixture of confectioner’s sugar and lemon juice. Drizzle over the cake as it cools. (European readers: confectioner’s sugar is caster sugar).

For a savory version of the muffin cake, prep the baking pan with butter and flour. Decrease the sugar content to 3 teaspoons (I would use one teaspoon, but I dislike sugar in savory foods). Omit the extracts. Keep the nuts, if desired. If you like dried fruits in savory foods, include a tablespoon (or less) of dried cranberries or currants. Add a handful of chopped fresh herbs–parsley, oregano, basil are all delicious in quick breads–along with a minced garlic clove or a finely chopped green onion.

If fresh herbs elude you, dried are always available. Start with a half-teaspoon and stay within the same flavor family; a muffin bread containing curry powder and mixed pickling spice will taste rather odd.

Try savory muffin cakes with sumac, coriander seed, paprika (smoked, hot, or sweet), fennel seed, and cumin. Or make a muffin cake using dried garlic, celery salt (go easy, as celery salt is very salty), dried parsley, oregano, and lots of freshly ground pepper. Stir in first-quality dried tomatoes preserved in olive oil, with a finely minced garlic clove. Anchovy lovers might sneak a couple rinsed filleted fish.