To Make the Cherry Filling/Sauce:

1. Place cherries, granulated sugar, fine sea salt, lemon juice, and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer over medium heat.
2. Stir regularly to make sure that the liquid is not sticking to the bottom of the pan. Continue simmering until the sauce has thickened to a jammy consistency. Remove immediately from the heat into a heat-proof container. Set aside until the cherries are room temperature. Place ⅓ of the cherries in one small container (these will be your topping), and ⅔ of the cherries into a second small container (these will be your filling).

To Make the Cake:

1. Set oven to a true 325°. An oven thermometer will help you determine whether your oven is actually the correct temperature. 
2. Sift together all-purpose flour, baking soda, and kosher salt into a medium bowl. Set aside. 
3. Place the room-temperature butter and cream cheese in a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix on medium speed until the fats are completely smooth.
4. Using a sharp knife, cut open the vanilla bean pod lengthwise. Scrape out the vanilla beans. Add them to the granulated sugar in a small bowl or deli cup. Massage the vanilla beans into the sugar to infuse the sugar. (If using a deli cup, combine the sugar and vanilla beans, put the top securely onto the deli cup, and shake to your heart’s content!). Place the (nearly) empty vanilla bean pod in your buttermilk to continue the infusing fun.
5. Add the infused granulated sugar and cream the mixture until light and fluffy. (psst…don’t know what it means to “cream until light and fluffy”? Take a look at this article!) Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary to ensure even mixing.
6. Add the eggs, one at a time. Mix each egg until it’s fully incorporated before adding the next egg. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary to ensure even mixing.
7. Add all of the pure vanilla extract (if using) and mix until fully combined. If using infused vanilla sugar, you can skip this step.
8. Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until nearly combined.
9. Remove the vanilla bean pod from the buttermilk. Add all of the infused buttermilk and mix on low speed until nearly combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary to ensure even mixing.
10. Add the second half of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until nearly combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a stiff spatula, and fold the batter until it is smooth and combined. 
11. Prepare a 10- or 12-cup bundt pan as you normally would. 
12. Place half of the batter into the pan, then gently tap the pan on the countertop to pop any large bubbles and help the batter ease into the deep grooves of the pan. Make a trench in the center of the batter. Add half of the cherry filling. Try not to touch the sides of the pan with the cherry filling. 
13. Gently create another layer of batter over the filling. Make another trench and place the second half of the filling in the trench, being careful not to touch the sides of the cake pan. Cover the entire cake with the remaining batter, then gently (and minimally)  swirl the cake batter with a skewer or the handle of a small spoon.
14. Bake at 325° for 65-75 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the cake reaches 212°F.
15. Remove the pan from the oven. After ten minutes, remove the cake from the pan by inverting the pan onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely.

To Make the Vanilla Simple Syrup:

1. Place granulated sugar, water, and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil.
2. Remove from the heat and add pure vanilla extract. Stir to combine.
3. Once the cake is fully cooled, brush with the fully cooled simple syrup.

To Make the Cream Cheese Glaze:

1. Place the cream cheese in a medium sized mixing bowl.
2. Use a hand mixer to mix the cream cheese until it is completely smooth. 
3. Place the confectioner’s sugar, fine sea salt, vanilla extract, and 1 ½ tbsp of whole milk into the mixing bowl. 
4. Using a small whisk, stir gently to combine. Stir until the confectioner’s sugar no longer collects moisture from the milk or the cream cheese. 
5. If necessary, add up to 1 ½ tbsp more of whole milk, but do it ½ tsp at a time.
6. The final glaze should be the consistency of thick honey, and should pour easily over the sides of the cake. Use a spoon, spouted measuring cup, or squeeze bottle to spread the glaze over the cake. If desired, crumble graham crackers over the entire cake to mimic a graham cracker crust.
7. Enjoy!