Preparation

• 1). Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
  
  
• 2). Grease cake pans with butter or shortening.
  
  
• 3). Sprinkle flour over buttered pans.
  
  

Dry Ingredients

• 1). Sift flour into large mixing bowl.
  
  
• 2). Add baking powder to flour.
  
  
• 3). Mix salt into flour mixture.
  
  
• 4). Set flour mixture aside.
  
  

Mixing the Batter

• 1). Cream butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl.
  
  
• 2). Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
  
  
• 3). Stir vanilla and almond extracts into butter mixture. Add lemon zest and beat mixture until just mixed.
  
  
• 4). Alternate adding flour mixture and milk a small amount at a time, mixing well.
  
  
• 5). Stir cherries gently into batter, reserving approximately 1/4 of the cherries for later use.
  
  

Baking the Cake

• 1). Pour cake batter into prepared pan(s).
  
  
• 2). Smooth top of batter with a spatula.
  
  
• 3). Bake cake in oven for 30 minutes.
  
  
• 4). Remove cake from oven and arrange remaining cherries on the top of the cake.
  
  
• 5). Bake cake for another 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean.