Oh how we LOVE this amazing Cherry Cake recipe from scratch! We are so happy to have another tried & true homemade recipe for our collection of favorite cakes.
I love light, fruit flavored cakes any time of the year, but especially in the spring and summer. This versatile and flavorful recipe deserves a place in your recipe box!
Cherry Cake
Ingredients
- 3 cups (342g) cake flour plus 2 Tablespoons for dusting cherries
- 1Tablespoon (15g) baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (2g) salt
- 6 egg whites (180g)
- 2/3 cup (146g) cherry juice from a 10 ounce bottle of maraschino cherries
- 3/4 cup (172g) milk
- 1 teaspoon (4g) vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon (4g) cherry extract
- 1/4 cup (54g) vegetable oil
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (2 sticks) (226g) unsalted butter, slightly softened but still cold to the touch
- maraschino cherries from a 10 ounce jar (use all) chopped and dusted with 2 Tablespoons flour
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, grease and flour 3 (8 inch) round pans
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt for at least 30 seconds
- In another bowl, add the egg whites, cherry juice, milk, vanilla and cherry extract, and vegetable oil. Blend together with a fork
- In the bowl of your mixer add the butter and beat at medium speed to soften. Add the sugar and continue to beat until lightened in color and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes, longer if using a hand mixer.
- Add approximately 1/2 of the flour mixture to the bowl, mixing on low speed until just blended. Add half of the wet ingredients and blend. Continue alternating the dry and wet ingredients (ending with dry) until blended. Do not over beat.
- Reserve approximately 2 Tablespoons chopped cherries. Gently stir the remaining chopped cherries into the batter.
- Once the batter is in the cake pans, sprinkle the reserved cherries over the top of the batter, and using a toothpick push them just slightly below the surface of the cake batter. Even though the flour is supposed to keep the cherries from sinking to the bottom of the pan, I find that most will, so this is my reason for adding a few to the top.
- Bake for 30 - 35 minutes, when the cake springs back to the touch or a toothpick pulls out clean or with only a few crumbs attached, the cake is done.
- 7 1/2 cups cake batter
- Works well for cupcakes
- Will hold up to fondant
Looking for our fantastic Cherry Cream Cheese Frosting? Follow the link! Cherry Cream Cheese Frosting
**Make sure to check out our full collection of favorite cake, frosting, and filling recipes in our Recipes Section!
You can also find beautiful and creative cake decorating techniques in our Free Cake Tutorials Section!
Looking for more Summertime Cake Recipes? Check out our Roundup of favorites! Summertime Cake Roundup
Thanks for stopping by! If you try our Cherry Cake recipe, make sure to let us know what you think in the comments below!
Looks and sounds delicious! I’ve printed it out to give it a try in Gluten-Free. :)
Thanks MsGF! You are so good at adapting recipes, if you try it I’d love to hear what you think!
This cake is unbelievably pretty and I adore maraschino cherries. When I was younger, before cherry Coke came out here in the UK, I would pour some of the syrup into my Coke! Now it is traditional at Christmas to have 2 on a cocktail stick in a glass of Babycham Perry whilst cooking Christmas dinner. Delicious cake must make it. Thanks for sharing. Sammie.
Sammie you were way ahead of the game with putting cherry into coke! xo ;0) So happy that you plan to make this!
This sounds so delicious! What icing would you recommend using? So appreciate all your great recipes!
Melissa, your cakes and your cake recipes are wonderful. I made the sour cream almond cake yesterday and it’s already gone. My family can’t get enough of it.
@JeanF- Thanks! We’ve tried this cake with cherry buttercream (our classic vanilla buttercream recipe with a tsp. cherry extract added) and another time with cherry cream cheese frosting (our cream cheese frosting recipe with a tsp. cherry extract). Our favorite was probably with the cherry cream cheese frosting. (We love cream cheese frosting though!)
@Martha- Thank you so much!! I’m so happy to hear it! xo
This looks delicious, I can’t wait to try it!!
Beautiful! And just in time for Valentine’s Day!
Beautiful cake and I am looking forward to making it!
Thanks Liz, Suzanne, & Sandra!! I hope that you enjoy it!! xoxo
Yummy great recipe this. Love cherrys. Thanks for sharing
Simon
What’s the best block chocolate you use for ganache?
HI Lila, If you have a Trader Joe’s store near you, we most often use the Trader Joe’s brand Pound Plus dark chocolate. We think it works best to have at least 54% cocoa. We also use Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips. A brand that taste good to you with a high cocoa content should work well for you.
Great cake! :)
How long would you bake cupcakes with this recipe?
Hi Nicole, Bake at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes. Check for doneness by putting a toothpick in the center of a cupcake. If it comes out clean or with just a few crumbs , they are done. As with most scratch recipes, the cupcakes will not have a high dome.
Cake was so delicious softvand moist everyone love it
Hi Bev, I so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks for posting!!
Hi. Can you please share what brand of cherry extract you get and where it can be purchased? Could another extract be used instead, such as almond?
Thanks!
Hi Marie, I’m very sorry your question was overlooked in January. I used Watkins brand cherry extract, I bought it at Walmart. I hope you can find it because I think it adds the extra cherry flavor that the cake needs.
Can I do this in a 13×9 pan?
Hi Cathy, Yes, it can be baked in a 13×9 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. When a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached, it is done. If not done at 40 min., cover pan loosely with aluminum foil to prevent the top from becoming too dark.
Can you use buttermilk?
Hi Adriene, I have not tried replacing the milk with buttermilk, but I think it would be fine to do so. I would add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and reduce the baking powder to 2 1/2 teaspoons.
I only have (2) 9 inch pans, would that be okay to use instead of the (3) 8 inch? If yes, should I still cook it on 350? Thank you for your help.
I made this luscious recipe for cupcakes and they were fantastic. My 6 yr old granddaughter wants this recipe for her birthday cake which will be covered in fondant. Will this recipe hold up? If not I was thinking about having the white almond sour cream scratch recipe that I’ve used several times( with great success) on the bottom and the cherry layer on top. It is going to be a 12 inch cake. I was seriously hoping that the cherry recipe will work. If not do you have another cherry cake recipe that will work? I appreciate your help immensely. I have to begin the cake on July 17. Thanks a million!
Hi Patricia, I’m thrilled that your granddaughter likes this recipe!! The recipe should hold up well to fondant.
I appreciate your quick response and am relieved that it will hold up under fondant. With your reply in mind I think I’ll make both layers cherry. You know how little girls love pink. Now if I can only make a dolphin from gum paste I’ll be all set. The cake has to be transported to Cape Cod and I live in CT in July. I’ve never transported a cake such a distance away and am trying to remain calm. Thank you so much. I love receiving your emails and your recipes are fantastic. I’ve become a better baker.
I’ll be shopping for the ingredients and wondered if the 12 inch pan needs 2 batches or does it need more? I am looking forward to having this cake done. I always get nervous when I bake and decorate a cake for others.
Hi Patricia, Don’t worry, everything will be great. This recipe makes 7 1/2 cups cake batter, that is enough for one 12 inch round cake pan ( based on a 2 inch deep pan). We use the following charts for cake batter amounts:
link to wilton.com
link to fromkarenskitchen.com
Just made this for a woman who had a 77th birthday. It was moist and good. Do not use dark vanilla! I did and it made my cake a light green color. Apparently the cherry red and dark vanilla did not make a pink color for my cake.I would recommend substituting almond flavoring over the vanilla. Thanks
Everyone loved the cherry cake covered with fondant. I had no trouble with the cake at all and it had to be transported by car from CT to Cape Cod. I’m sure I’ll get a lot of requests for this cake when their birthday comes up. Thank you for the recipe. It’s definitely a keeper.
Hi Patricia, That is wonderful!! Glad to hear that it traveled well and that everyone enjoyed it. Thanks for letting us know!
I neglected to mention that the best recipes are found on My Cake School.
Patricia, that is so sweet, thank you!!