Cherry Coffee Pound Cake

I've been itching to make a pound cake or any cake for that matter as long as it's coffee flavored with streusel and I want to feel the crunch of the walnuts. If only I drink coffee, I might end up gobbling the whole cake!

I looked for the perfect recipe and actually combined two. I got the cake recipe from The Messy Baker Blog and thought the streusel and milk glaze from Martha Stewart's site would go well perfectly together. And don't forget the red cherries!  I never thought they had a lot of nutritional value since I've always heard the berries being always mentioned as healthy and are good antioxidants. According to Wikipedia:

"Cherries contain anthocyanins, the red pigment in berries. Cherry anthocyanins have been shown to reduce pain and inflammation inrats.[6] Anthocyanins are also potent antioxidants under active research for a variety of potential health benefits. According to a study funded by the Cherry Marketing Institute, presented at the Experimental Biology 2008 meeting in San Diego, rats that received whole tart cherry powder mixed into a high-fat diet did not gain as much weight or build up as much body fat, and their blood showed much lower levels of inflammation indicators that have been linked to heart disease and diabetes. In addition, they had significantly lower blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides than the other rats.[7]"

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 Tbsp instant coffee granules
• 100 grams cherries, pitted

For the walnut streusel:

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp butter, softened
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

For the milk glaze:

• 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
• 2 Tbsp milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Grease a tube pan.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

3. In another mixing bowl, beat together butter and 1 1/4 cups sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. 

4. Add flour mixture and sour cream alternately to butter mixture, beating until just combined after each addition. 

5. Spread half of the mixture into your prepared pan. Arrange the cherries and make sure they don't touch the edges as they tend to burn easily. Pour half of the mixture.

6. For the streusel, just mix all the ingredients except walnuts until it resembles a coarse mixture. Add the walnuts. Sprinkle on top of the cake mixture before popping it into the oven for about 40 minutes.

7. Cake is done once toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle. Cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes. 

8. Combine milk and confectioner's sugar. Drizzle on top of the cake. It's perfect for dessert or paired with coffee!

Source: http://www.themessybakerblog.com