Homemade Cherry Cake

Cherry Cake is an easy homemade cake recipe with fresh cherry flavor in every bite. When cherries are in season this is the best cake to make – so easy, simple, and perfect with a scoop of ice cream on a warm night.

I can hardly wait for cherries to show up during the spring and early summer. I love the sweet, tart flavor and, of course, the color. It’s hard not to just snack on them all day, but I manage to save some to make this easy cherry cake.

It’s such a simple dessert that really lets the cherries shine. This and my cherry bread and cherry bars are some of my favorite dessert recipes to make this time of year.

Easy Cherry Cake Recipe

This cake is made with pastry flour so the crumb is soft and delicate. If you don’t have pastry flour, don’t worry. I’m sharing how to make it yourself to save a trip to the store.

The cake is enriched with half and half plus whole eggs and an extra egg yolk. They add lots of moisture so the cake is nice and tender.

Don’t forget the cherries. They’re folded into the batter so when you slice the cake, you see their beautiful red color.

This really is the best summer cake. So easy and delicious.

Ingredients

• Pastry flour
• Large eggs plus one egg yolk
• Half and half
• Baking powder
• Vanilla extract
• Salt
• Granulated sugar
• Melted butter
• Pitted cherries cut in half

Substitutions

• If you don’t have pastry flour, you can make it with all-purpose flour and cornstarch. For every cup of flour, remove two tablespoons and replace them with the same amount of cornstarch.
• No half and half? You can mix equal parts 2% or whole milk with heavy whipping cream.
• Instead of melted butter you can use the same amount of vegetable oil.
• You can also swap the vanilla for almond extract.

How to Make the Cake

Pre-heat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and grease and flour an 8″ baking pan (20 cm). Mix the cherries with one tablespoon of sugar in a bowl and set them aside. If you wish you can also stir in 2-3 teaspoons of flour to keep the cherries from sinking to the bottom.

Whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder in a mixing bowl. In a separate large bowl (or stand mixer), beat the eggs, extra yolk, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Mix in the melted butter (or oil) and half and half.

Add the dry ingredients in two batches, mixing between each.

Once combined, fold in the cherries and then pour the cake batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the cake for about 35 to 40 minutes and then let it cool in the pan at room temperature. 

For serving, dust the cooled cake with powdered sugar and serve slices with scoops of vanilla ice cream.

Cake Tips

This cake is really very easy to do, but be careful not to overmix when you add the flour. I add the flour in two parts and mix just until combined. If you overmix, your cake will have a tighter tougher crumb.

If you can’t find fresh cherries, you can use the same amount of frozen ones but I don’t recommend thawing them first. 

How do you pit cherries easily?

The easiest way is with a cherry pitter. Or, you can use a chopstick, metal straw or even a piping tip to pit your cherries. Remove the stem and then push the chopstick into the cherry where the stem was. Push the pit out of the cherry.

How to store it

This cake will keep well for a few days at room temperature. Keep it covered with plastic wrap. You can also store it in the refrigerator.

Or, freeze the cake for up to two months. Double wrap it in plastic wrap and then let it thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature before serving it.

More Easy Recipes

• ​Simple Yogurt Bread
• Brownies with Chocolate Chips
• ​Lemon Layer Cake

I hope you grab some cherries before they’re out of season so you can make this homemade cherry cake. It’s the perfect summer dessert or snack cake – Enjoy!