Rolled Oats, Cardamon & Cherries Upside Down Cake

As I was on my cell this evening with a friend, I had to get off as Sagie שגיא was taking off this Friday evening to hang out with his friends. I just had to be present in that moment and time, and although he is all grown up and could have just waved me goodbye, these small moments of being present mean a lot. I scramble to bake and cook his favorites and then come up with some new ones when he asks for healthy dishes. As an athlete he is hyper aware when is comes to nutrition. In two weeks he will be off again for his second year in college and I want to be present, these moments are so precious.
Sagie שגיא goes to his summer class at a university nearby, then might come home or go out for lunch. He'll text me to ask, if on his way back, I want him to bring me some Panera. Gym with Jonathan, a daddy and son time on some evenings, on weekend sometimes biking, Sundays religiously the two watch True Blood. Many soccer practices and trainings, occasional jobs in between, moments before he is off to meet up with his friends, with a smile on his face, he will call them to tell them he is being hijacked and held hostage by me for dinner with the family. Late night conversations with me, we laugh hysterically, trying to contain ourselves and not wake Jonathan up. I catch him late at night when his defenses are down (heehee) and we have a heart to heart. We are very close but not close enough for him to unbanish me as his friend on Facebook. I'll miss him when he is back in college, but am excited for him to take off into the world again, there is an entire world and many sensations for him yet to experience.
His freshman year flew by. He came back home more mature, more of a man, still a kid at heart but he is in a good place after a turbulent time post his injury in his senior year in high school. Healthy, happy and confident and even before he took off into the world and figured out what he wants to do with his life, he is a tremendous success, first as a human. Trials and turbulence I faced left me jaded, and despite the trials and turbulance he faces and faced he stays an optimist, always wants to see the positive in people even when terribly disappointing. He is the better person. I am humbled he is mine. I say he is my reward in life.
Speaking of healthy I wanted to change things around from the Snowy Day Granola I make often and always in a jar, or super fluffy and dellicious Rolled Oats Pancakes. When Sagie asked me for a healthy recipe I came up with this super easy one and tweaked it recently. I am pretty finicky about fruit desserts, fruit tart with pastry cream and strawberries and cream cake are both desserts I love, but am speaking of cooked fruit desserts. Much to my delight, my experiment was successful where as in the first recipe, the consistency was more of a bread pudding, after tweaking it a bit I came up with the cake one.

I say for a super healthy recipe use only 1/3 cup of Sugar in the Raw, dessert will be sweet enough at 1/2 cup and not over the top sweet at 3/4 of  a cup. If health awareness is on top of your chart by all means use 1/3 cup sugar and skim milk or lite coocnut milk, you can even reduce to 1 egg. That's the beauty of this recipe you can't really mess it up much, it's flexible, though the consistency will change somewhat. The only thing I insist on is the in season cherry and cardamon, a killer pairing. Somehow the nutty oats, whole wheat flour, cardamon and cherries lend themselves to be meld together, blend and complement each other in perfect harmony.
I am pretty lax about entering cooking clubs, mingles and mac tweets and boy you cannot imagine how much I would love to participate, but before I know it deadline has come and gone and I just happened to post a relevant post for the challenge. This time just in the nick of time I realized I still qualify for my friends Sukaina Sips and Spoons and Meeta What's For Lunch Honey? fantastic Stone Fruit monthly mingle. So happy to enter my first mingle!!

Rolled Oats, Cardamon Cherries Mock Bread Pudding

Ingredients:
3/4 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4-1/3 teaspoon cardamon powder
1/2-3/4 cup Sugar in the Raw (can even go lower to 1/3 cup for super healthy. Taste the batter and adjust)
Pinch of salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/3 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups pitted fresh cherries
Some butter to grease the loaf pan

Directions:
Preheat oven to a 350F and grease a 12X4X3 inch loaf pan or line it with parchment paper it and grease. A round cake pan can work as well. I lined it with parchment paper and greased under and on top of the parchment.
In one bowl whisk eggs, add oil, milk and vanilla and mix. In a second bowl add all dry ingredients, flour, oats, sugar (1/3 or 1/2 cups first), baking powder, cardamon and salt and mix. Pour dry ingredients over wet ones, pour pitted cherries on top of dry ingredients and mix into a batter. Taste for sugar and adjust. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Let cool and turn upside down. Slice and serve. I keep this cake refrigerated.

Sagie שגיא

31 comments:

  1. That sounds really delicious and so healthy! I LOVE recipes like this :) I wonder if i will be make it eggless though... will try!

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  2. ooo nice twist on a classic - upside down cherries! and i love the texture oats bring to a cake :)

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  3. Gorgeous photography dear! Your son is lucky to have a Mom like you with awesome treats always awaiting! I NEED to find fresh cherries here and try the cherry-cardamom combination you suggest! xoxo

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  4. Unlike you, I do love fruit desserts. I have a bunch of cherries in the fridge and decided to make ice cream with some of them and now I know what to make with the rest!

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  5. Aww... what a lovely lovely post Mommy!! Like me, sagie is very lucky to have you.

    The cake looks divine and the pictures are gorgeous. :)

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  6. Your boy is lucky to have a loving mom who bakes healthy treats for him, and you are lucky to have such a handsome son ;) cherries were available in the DR a few weeks ago and I used them to make muffins. Crossing fingers to find some more so I can try this cake, I love cardamom-anything and the idea of keeping the cake in the fridge makes it more appealing for these hot days of summer. Besos, Shulie! xo

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  7. Chimnayie, TY. please try it eggless or with an egg replacement and let me know how it turned out. I am curious. I think it can still be successful. First batch I made was with only one egg. Junia, the oats have a nutty quality really so much depth to them. TY and to nellie too. Marnley, I tried going for a zen feel in the sweltering heat. You would not know it was over 100F outside.:) Hi Barbara, TY for dropping by, must admit I don't like all cooked fruit desserts but I like some. Can't wait to hear how your upside down cherry cake turned out and cherry ice cream?! Yum! Thank you Fifi I sometimes can be an overbearing mommy as you know but it all balances out:). You and Sagie can sometimes be more mature than I. :) I'm giddy silly about the pics. Yuri, girlie so happy you saw this post. Was thinking of you as I didn't post the cardamon ice cream and was hoping you will get a glimpse of this as you are all into anything super healthy. & TY I will tell Sagie what you said:). Let me know if you find cherries??

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  8. How yum looking! I love nutty with sweet combinations. I can go healthy occasionally, but with dessert, I would definitely go max high fat :) Hmmm...I think I have a bag of cherries in the fridge....
    Love the pics too. I'm sure you're loving the new camera?

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  9. beautiful & sweet post! Your son & my oldest must be about the same age, so I really relate.

    I want to make this cake, now to get my hands on enough cherries...

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  10. I cannot believe the comment I was writing just disappeared right before my eyes! [Maybe it has gotten too long?]

    What a lovely post, Shulie, and what a handsome young man Sagie is! I just know that he is beautiful inside out just like his mommy.

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  11. TY Alan, I do, especially now that I got a hang of it, well sort of, still got to learn much. This is perfect for breakfast and if you want fat just replace oil with melted butter. Michaela Thank you. Am having a BBQ just for the guys, his closets friends, as a farewell before they all spread out again. Wonder if I will get to photograph it to document. So happy you understand!! Thank you so much Annapet. Funny how precious our kids are. You'll see as J3 grows up it never will cease to amaze you. I already can see he is a fine young boy and with a mom such as you he will will be too!

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  12. gorgeous!! I love that you paired cherries with cardamom! I just used cardamom the other day... wow we really do think alike

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  13. You have a very handsome son!These photos are really gorgeous.

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  14. I wish I had a Mom who will cook healthy for me. It's either good delicious w oil or nothing. Sagie is one lucky boy to have you look out for his interest. Adopt me? Please ...

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  15. He's a very lucky (and handsome) young man. You both must be very proud of the man he's become. This cake looks delicious. I love the combinationn of cherries and cardamom.

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  16. Like those streaks of oats peeping from the slices! Love the photo shoot, Shulie. Esp. the one with that large white flower. Would love to bake it soon.

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  17. beautiful photos, beautiful dessert and a very handsome young man, that son of yours - you have every right to be proud!!

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  18. A cake with oats in it sounds lovely. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe - I can't wait to try this flavor combination!

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  19. Beautiful cake for a summer day!

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  20. Looks so yummy!! Love your use of the flowers in your photography <3 Gorgeously done!! And it was super fun to read :)

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  21. Such a sweet post, and your boy is gorgeous. Not a boy, a man! Your cake is gorgeous too.

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  22. Lucky boy! The flavors in this recipe sound wonderful.

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  23. Looks delicious, and sounds like you have raised a wonderful son! My boy {8} is just getting ready to start his first year of tackle football, and is developing quite an appetite! He is still so sweet and looks after his mom- hope he's like your son 10 years from now!

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  24. Can't think of a better recipe for the Monthly Mingle! Great job!

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  25. This is one healthy treat .. which looks so pretty. Your son is lucky to enjoy that gorgeous treat! :)

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  26. Love your healthy upside-down cake. I think my cutiies would protest a healthy cake but I would love it. Sagie looks just like his beautiful mamma. Enjoy these days with him and he is blessed to have you as his mamma. xx

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  27. So sweet... mother and son bonding :D
    and your sweet treat is a real 'Treat' and I would love to have a slice of your healthy bake :D

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  28. I think I really love fruit dessert, so this is right up my alley!

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  29. Congrats on your first mingle :) Your son is all grown-up, a handsome adult :)
    Love your twist on this cake, now I wish you can send one piece to my house :)

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  30. I feel honored that your first mingle was with me this month. I love upside down cakes- there is no better joy then turning over a cake pan to find caramlised fruit! Yum Yum!

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