Mocha Cherry Cake with Maple Butter Glaze

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 13 x 9 casserole pan with parchment paper and spray the pan walls with non-stick oil.

To hydrate the cherries: Pour the espresso into a small saucepan. Add the dried cherries and brown sugar. Put the pan over heat and bring to a gentle boil. Then remove it from heat and set aside to cool.

For the batter: Blitz the butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, sour cream (or yogurt), eggs and vanilla in a food processor. Then add flour, baking soda and baking powder. Blitz until just incorporated.

Disconnect the bowl from the food processor. Gently, stir the cherries and chocolate chips into the batter by hand. Spoon into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top.

Bake for 30 minutes, until you can smell the cake and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove pan from oven and set it on a rack. Allow the cake to cool thoroughly.

For the glaze: Put about a tablespoon of butter in a small pot over medium heat and heat to a bubble. When it changes to a golden brown colour and smells toasty, remove pan from heat. Add maple syrup and confectioner’s sugar. Stir until thick and smooth.

Drizzle glaze over cooled cake and allow it to set (this will take roughly 5 minutes).