1. Add the flour, sugar, and salt for the streusels to a large bowl. Add the butter in small pieces, as well as the vanilla extract, and mix everything with your fingers until you get different-sized streusels. Place them in the fridge for about 20 minutes. Place the marzipan for the topping in the freezer to make it easier to work with later.

2. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a 9×9 inches square baking tin with baking parchment and grease lightly. Transfer about half of the streusels to the prepared baking tin and press down to create an even layer. Keep the rest of the streusels in the fridge. Bake the streusel base for about 15 minutes – the base should brown slightly around the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool down a bit. Reduce the temperature of the oven to 350°F (180°C).

3. While the base is baking in the oven, wash, dry, and remove the stones from the cherries. Add them to a bowl and mix them with the cornstarch and sugar – set aside until needed. Roughly grate the slightly frozen marzipan.

4. As soon as the streusel base has cooled down a bit, distribute the grated marzipan evenly on top, then add the cherries and streusels. Sprinkle with some sliced almonds and brown sugar (optional) and bake for about 45-50 minutes. You want some color on the streusels here and there. Remove the streusel bars from the oven and let them cool down completely in the baking tin. Cut into nine pieces and serve with some whipped cream.