1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Preparing the Cherries:

1. Cut the fresh cherries in half and remove the pit.
2. Then cut the cherries into quarters (each cherry should be cut into 4 pieces).
3. Set aside.

Making the Vanilla Buttermilk Cake:

1. In a mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, using a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy.
3. Add the eggs to the butter mix, one at a time.
4. Add in the vanilla. Mix well.
5. To the butter mix, add 1/3 of the flour mix, then 1/2 of the buttermilk. Repeat until all combined.
6. In a bowl, gently toss the chopped cherries with 1 tsp of flour. This will help to keep the cherries from staining the cake batter.
7. Using just a wooden spoon, gently stir the cherries into the cake batter. Don’t use a mixer or the batter will become pink.
8. Pour/press the batter into a 9×9 baking pan.
9. Sprinkle the top of the cake with 1 – 2 tbsp of granulated sugar.
10. Bake the cake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.