Cherry Upside-Down Cake

1/2 cup butter
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups cake flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder, divided
2/3 cup water
3 egg whites

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream butter and sugar; add vanilla extract. Sift flour with salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the baking powder and add alternately with the water to the butter mixture, beating well after each addition. Beat the remaining baking powder with the egg whites until stiff. Fold whites into mixture. Divide batter into two greased and floured 9-inch layer pans.

Sauce:
1 (1 pound 4 ounce) can pitted sour cherries
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon red food coloring

Drain cherries well, saving the juice. Measure 3/4 cup of juice. Add water if needed to make up the difference. Combine juice, cherries, sugar and coloring. Heat to the boiling point. Pour hot cherry sauce over cake batter. Bake for 35 minutes. Cool for 3 minutes. Turn upside down. Place layers using sauce as both filling and topping.

Serve with whipped cream.