The Easy Cherry Cake I Can't Stop Making

Growing up in Maine, summer was always a short season. And because it goes by in a flash, I learned to take advantage of what the season has to offer. Dark sweet cherries, for instance. When they turn up at grocery stores and farmers markets, it’s easy to go overboard, knowing that their availability is limited. When I've got more cherries than I know what to do with, I look no further than this simple cherry cake that won’t make me break a sweat.

This is a rich butter cake flavored with almond extract and studded with fresh sweet cherries. It’s wonderful as a snacking cake and can be served for breakfast or dessert so I can enjoy cherries all day long.

What Makes This Cake Special?

This cake has a buttery base that's dense enough to support the cherries, but still has a soft crumb. It’s a single layer cake, thick enough for a hearty slice, but not so thick that the cherry flavor gets lost in the cake. Because of the thick batter the cherries don’t sink into the cake, which leaves the crimson fruit in full display.

The cake is flavored with almond extract rather than the usual vanilla. Almonds and cherries are actually related (genus Prunus), and the robust bitter almond flavor is a natural pairing with juicy stone fruits.

While there is a high proportion of sugar, the cake isn’t overly sweet as it’s balanced by the bitterness of the almond extract and the acidity of the cherries. The sugar makes the cake moist and helps it keep longer.

What Kind of Cherries to Use

Because the cherries are simply pressed into the batter before baking, this cake works best with fresh, sweet cherries such as Bing, Rainier, or Chelan. Fresh cherries are preferable because the extra moisture in frozen or canned cherries would water down the batter.

Helpful Tips and Tricks

While this is a straight-forward cake to bake, there are a few things that will ensure your cherry cake comes out flawlessly.

•  Use room temperature ingredients. The moisture in the eggs and fat in the butter form an emulsion. If the eggs or butter are too cold, the emulsion will break and the batter may clump. If the batter does curdle, you can add a couple tablespoons of the flour and mix just until it becomes smooth again.
• Try not to overbeat the eggs. If too much air gets introduced into the batter it can expand too much in the oven, making the cake seem dry. As soon as the eggs are fully incorporated into the butter and sugar mixture and the batter is smooth, continue to the next step.
• To pit the cherries, the easiest way is to use a cherry pitter. If you don’t have one, you can remove the pits with a paring knife or poke them through with a partially unfolded paper clip.

Change It Up

It’s easy to make this cake your own with other fruits and flavorings.

• Substitute 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract for the almond extract.
• Swap cherries for other stone fruits like peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines, or a mix. Slice larger fruits into wedges and arrange the slices on top of the batter before baking.
• Add a little lemon zest to the batter for a zing of citrus.

How To Serve

This cherry cake is excellent on its own, especially with a cup of coffee for breakfast or for an afternoon snack.

If you do want to dress it up, serve it with a light dusting of powdered sugar rather than a glaze so the cherries still stand out. You could also try serving it with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

How To Store

The cake keeps for 3 days well wrapped at room temperature, or up to a week in the refrigerator. The cake will soften a bit over time. If stored in the fridge, take the cake out an hour before serving to take the chill off.

The cake may also be frozen for up to 3 months. Let it defrost at room temperature before serving.