• Preheat oven to 350F and butter your tart pan.

make the filling

• Put the drained cherries in a saucepan. Combine the cornstarch and the cherry juice and stir to dissolve. Add to the pan along with the sugar. Heat to a boil, stirring almost constantly, and let boil gently until the sauce has thickened and turned glossy. Stir in the vanilla off the heat and transfer to a large bowl to cool down. You can put it in the refrigerator if you like.

make the cake

• Put the all purpose flour, almond flour, sugar, baking powder, and spice into a food processor and pulse to combine. You can also use a stand mixer or electric beaters.
• Add the butter and, if you are using a food processor, pulse/process to incorporate it into a crumbly texture. Add the egg and extracts and briefly process to combine. Expect it to be drier than American cake dough ~ more like an enriched shortbread.
• Take about 2/3 of the dough and press it into the bottom of your prepared pan.
• Top with the cherry filling. Tip: I stay away from the very edges because the cherry filling can stick to the pan after baking and make it difficult to remove from the pan.
• Toss the sliced almonds with the rest of the cake mixture and crumble over the surface of the cherries.
• Bake 30-35 minutes or until the filling is bubbling and the top is lightly golden.
• Let cool about 10 minutes before removing the sides of your pan. If there is any cherry filling stuck to the sides loosen it with an offset spatula first. Let the cake cool a bit more (warm is ok) before showering generously with powdered sugar.
• Store at room temperature for several days or freeze for up to 3 months.