This simple one-layer cake is flavored with cherry juice, filled with chopped Luxardo cherries and covered in the creamiest cherry frosting.
Here's what I want: A slice of cake the color of a unicorn and a whisky cocktail. I would like both to be packed with Luxardo cherries because holy smokes they are magical. Dark as night and delicious as sin.
Is that also what you want, friend? I just knew you were my kind of people.
It's the kind of cake that feels child-like and whimsical, and adult all at the same time. And really. Why can't we have both? A pink cherry studded cake covered in pale pink cherry frosting that reminds us of childhood AND is packed with sophisticated and grown up things like Luxardo cherries.
Give it to your children if you like, but please save the biggest slices for yourself. Being a grownup has its rewards, and one of them is getting to eat the good cherries AND cutting as large a slice as you please.
Cherry cake ingredients
- All purpose flour + baking powder + salt
- 1 egg + 1 egg white
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Buttermilk
- Maraschino cherry juice + Maraschino cherries: I love, love, love Luxardo cherries. They are in a category of their own, heads and tails better than any other kind. They are on the pricy side but will keep for a long time when stored in the refrigerator. Having said that, use whatever brand of maraschino cherries you like in this cake.
- Vanilla and almond extracts
- Heavy whipping cream
Pro tip! Folding some whipped cream into cake batter is a genius baking trick I learned from Bake Wise by Shirley O. Corriher. When folded gently into the batter right before baking, whipped cream adds additional fat and air - both of which contribute to this cake's soft, silky texture.
Additions and substitutions
- Fresh herbs can be a delicious contribution to sweet treats, and if that sounds like your kind of thing, this cake is a great one to experiment with. Chop up some fresh mint or basil and stir it right into the batter.
- For a cherry lemon cake, add a tablespoon of lemon zest and 2 teaspoons of lemon extract or 1 teaspoon lemon oil to the batter.
- For a cherry chip cake, stir 1-2 cups of mini chocolate chips in with the chopped cherries.
Mix and match: More frosting options for this cake
This cake is obviously the perfect match for cherry frosting, but here are four other delicious frosting recipes that pair beautifully with this cake:
Step-by-step photos and instructions
Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to a bowl and stir with a wire whisk to combine.
Add one whole egg and one egg white to a small bowl and beat with a fork to combine.
Add the butter and sugar to a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
Add the eggs to the butter and sugar bit by bit, beating well after each addition, until they've all been added and the mixture is smooth and creamy.
Add the buttermilk, maraschino cherry juice, vanilla, and almond extract to a measuring cup with a spout (this makes it easier to pour). Add the liquid in alternating additions with the flour. After each addition, mix on low speed just until barely incorporated. Use a spoon or a rubber spatula to give the batter a final stir.
Add the heavy whipping cream to a small bowl and beat with an electric mixer until it's thick enough to hold its shape.
Add the whipped cream and chopped cherries to the batter and gently fold them in.
Scrape the batter into a greased and floured 8-inch round cake pan. (Here's how to prepare a cake pan so the cake will not stick.) Time to bake.
Pro tip! To test that the cake is done baking, insert a toothpick in the center of the cake and remove it. If there is no raw batter on the toothpick, the cake is done.
Gently flip the cake out onto a wire baking rack and allow it to cool completely before icing with cherry frosting.
If you have a cake turntable, now is the time to use it.
Place a piece of parchment on the turntable and add the cake. Scoop a generous amount of cherry frosting onto the center of the cake.
Gently spread the frosting over the sides of the cake, smoothing the top, until the cake is covered.
Gently lift the cake from the parchment paper onto a serving plate. Decorate with a few Maraschino cherries and a sprig of mint, if desired.
Make ahead tips and how to store leftover cake
Unfrosted, this cake can be prepared up to 2 days in advance and stored, well wrapped, at room temperature. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
To prevent freezer burn, wrap the cake in a double layer of plastic wrap, then in a layer of aluminum foil. Allow the cake to thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for 4-6 hours.
Once frosted, the cake should be stored in the refrigerator. It can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance. I think the flavor is better when the cake is at room temperature, so let it sit out on the countertop for an hour or so if you can before serving.
Serving suggestion
It might be stating the obvious, but serving this cake with a scoop of cherry ice cream is absolutely dreamy.
But honestly, this cake is delicious served with many kinds of ice cream, fruit sorbet, or gelato.
Or, for all you true cherry lovers, serve it with spoonfuls of cherry sauce.
More dessert recipes for cherry lovers
If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Scroll down to rate this recipe and leave a comment for me.
Happy baking!
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📖 Recipe
Cherry Cake with Cherry Frosting
This simple one-layer cake is flavored with cherry juice, filled with chopped Luxardo cherries and covered in the creamiest cherry frosting.
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups (150 grams) all purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon table salt, OR 1 ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 large egg white, at room temperature
- 6 tablespoons (3 ounces/ 85 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cups (150 grams) sugar
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup maraschino cherry juice (the liquid that maraschino cherries are marinated in)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup chopped maraschino cherries, I used Luxardo cherries (see link below)
- ¼ cup (57 grams) heavy whipping cream, cold
- Cherry frosting(you'll need a ½ recipe to cover this cake)
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F (176° C). Grease, flour, and line the bottom of an 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper. Here's how to grease, flour, and line cake pans with parchment paper.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to a bowl and stir with a wire whisk to combine.
- Add the whole egg and the egg white to a small bowl and use a fork to whisk them together.
- Add the butter and sugar to a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture in several additions, pouring them in bit by bit and beating one addition into the batter before adding more. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time.
- Add the buttermilk, maraschino cherry juice, vanilla and almond extract to a measuring cup with a spout. Add the liquid in alternating additions with the flour mixture, mixing on low speed: ⅓ of the flour, ½ of the liquid, ⅓ of the flour, the rest of the liquid, and the rest of the flour. With each addition, beat on low speed just long enough for about 75% of it to be incorporated before adding the next addition. Be careful to not over beat.
- Give the batter a final stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to finish incorporating all the ingredients into a smooth batter.
- Add the heavy whipping cream to a separate bowl and beat with an electric mixer until medium peaks form (if you lift the beater from the cream, a peak will form with the tip falling over onto itself slightly).
- Add the whipped cream and the chopped cherries to the cake batter and very gently fold it into the batter. Stir gently, just until about 90% of it is incorporated. You should still be able to see a few white streaks.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared cake pan, smoothing the top into an even layer. Bake the cake in the center of the oven for 35-45 minutes. To know when the cake is done, insert a toothpick in the center of the cake and pull it out. If you don't see any evidence of raw cake batter on the toothpick, the cake is done.
- Set the cake on a wire rack and let it cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Gently turn the cake out onto a wire baking rack and allow it to cool completely before icing with cherry frosting.
Notes
No buttermilk? No problem. Here's how to make your own.
Mix and match: More frosting options for this cake
This cake is obviously the perfect match for cherry frosting, but here are four other delicious frosting recipes that pair beautifully with this cake:
FREE 63 page ebook with a mix-and-match chart:
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: ⅛ of the cakeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 416Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 87mgSodium: 386mgCarbohydrates: 61gFiber: 2gSugar: 43gProtein: 5g
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