This is a delicious moist cake to have with coffee. The secret is to soak the dried cherries with almond essence before making the batter.
What a pretty, delicate, almost dainty coffee cake. I made a point to buy the vanilla yogurt because I believed it would make a difference in terms of taste and texture than sour cream, even though they are basically interchangeable. I knew when I opened that yogurt and smelled that delicious vanilla fragrance I had made the right decision. I used pure olive oil (NOT extra virgin, which would be much too strong!) for the vegetable oil which lent itself well to the cherry and vanilla flavors. I also used sliced almonds rather than pecans, knowing the flavor combination of cherries and almonds as classic, and because I thought it would look prettier too. It turned out beautifully and was just perfect for a morning or afternoon cup of coffee, a refreshing change from heavier, sweeter desserts. The cherries, which I just halved, were evenly distributed throughout rather than sinking to the bottom of the cake as some have experienced. I don't know if it would make a difference or not, but I just gently blended all the ingredients together with a wooden spoon. This cake looks like a lot of effort went into it when really it mixed up in just a couple of minutes. This is just a great coffeecake recipe, which, except for minor adjustments for presentation or taste preferences, is just perfect as written. - 14 Jan 2008 (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)
I thought this recipe was great! I didn't have vanilla yogurt or pecans on hand so I tried it with black cherry yogurt and almonds instead and thought the flavor was very nice. Best of all it was QUICK! Throw it in the oven just as you are sitting down to dinner and it is piping hot and ready just in time for after dinner coffee! - 14 Jan 2002 (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)
This is a delicious, moist cake. Very easy and quick to prepare. I baked it in a square pan and it came out perfectly. I would like to try substituting almonds for the pecans next time. Also, the addition of yogurt in this recipe makes a very light cake, not dense as some cakes can be. I might try another flavor of yogurt such as cherry or lemon just for fun. - 19 Aug 2001 (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)