1. Wash, dry and pit the cherries for the compote. Mix cornstarch, cherry juice and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Add the cherries to a saucepan with 1 tbsp. of water and heat up gently. Let the cherries cook for a moment – you want them to soften a bit and release some of their juices. Next, add the cornstarch mixture and stir it in. Continue stirring until you get a thick and dark compote. In case the cornstarch does not dissolve properly (when the mixture looks pale), add some more cherry juice and continue stirring and cooking until you get the right consistency. You want the cherries to be covered in a custard-like sauce. The cherries sometimes do not release enough liquid to bind the cornstarch. Remove the compote from the heat and let it cool down.

2. Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F). Line a 24cm springform tin* with baking parchment and set aside.

3. For the streusels, add the spelt flour, sugar, ground almonds, vanilla powder, and salt to a large bowl. Add the butter in small pieces, as well as the egg, and mix in. We always use a fork first until the egg is reasonably well combined with the flour – then we use our hands to create different-sized streusels.

4. Transfer about 2/3 of the streusels to the prepared springform tin and press them to the bottom and sides to create a nice cake base – the sides should be about 2-3cm high. Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove it from the oven and let it cool down for a few minutes. Do not turn off the oven.

5. Spread the cherry compote all over the base. Combine the remaining streusels with the sliced almonds and sprinkle everything on the cherry compote. Return the baking tin to the oven and bake the cake for about 40 minutes – the streusels should have a golden brown color. Take it out of the oven and let it cool down completely. We love to serve the cherry cake with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.