Almond cherry cake is simple to make, moist, and light! This stunning cake is full of almond flavor and unique in taste. The cherries are such a fun bonus too! Make this cake gluten-free by substituting with your favorite 1:1 gluten-free flour replacement.
Why I love this cake
From the moment I first started creating my own recipes, I fell completely in love with baking. While simply baking is so much fun, creating the recipes myself is what really took baking to a whole new level for me. I started with little tweaks on recipes I knew, until I was comfortable enough to make bigger changes. It was amazing to see how small changes in baking make such big difference in taste and texture. I was fascinated by the science of baking and eager to learn more and more. Now when people make something I created and LOVE it, my heart is filled with tremendous joy.
Since my first attempts in the kitchen were colossal failures, I vividly remember the first time I finally baked something that was worth its calories. It was this almond cake with cherries. My first crowd pleaser! The cake isn’t that sophisticated, but back then when I was still an amateur, this was a huge achievement.
This cake is moist, light and airy with a spongy texture, and has a burst of almond flavor. The cherries make this cake super elegant and tasty. I also have a delicious muffin version of this too!
How to make an Almond Cherry Cake
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter, at room temperature
- Granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour (or substitute with gluten-free 1:1 flour)
- Baking powder
- Almond flour (store-bought or make your own)
- 25 sweet cherries, pitted (halved) (I used fresh dark sweet cherries)
- White chocolate, melted, to drizzle on top (optional)
How it’s made
Make this cake using the creaming method: cream together butter (at room temperature) and sugar. Then, beat in eggs and vanilla extract, and add dry ingredients.
Instead of folding the cherries into the batter, I arrange them on top of it. Cherries have a tendency to sink to the bottom of the cake and this step can slow down their way to the bottom. If you leave cherries whole, they will sink much faster in the oven, so I cut mine in half to slow the process. Usually the outer cherries sink for me and the inner cherries stay on top. Regardless of whether they sink or not, the cake will be equally pretty and delicious, so don’t worry too much about it!
Finishing touches
Once the cake cherry almond cake is baked and cooled, you can add a layer of powdered sugar or drizzle white chocolate (my favorite) over the top. White chocolate complements the cake flavors perfectly and makes it resemble a lattice pie crust, simple and beautiful.
You can use fresh sweet cherries or canned ones that are strained very well. I haven’t made this cake using frozen cherries because the excess moisture wouldn’t work. Thaw frozen cherries and strain very well before using. I would NOT recommend sour cherries in this cake.
While the cake has a perfectly subtle nuttiness, if you LOVE almond, try adding ½ teaspoon of almond extract to the batter as well. A pinch of salt will bring out a stronger flavor as well.
I prefer to use store-bought almond flour for cakes because it can be purchased with a very fine powder-like grit. This almond flour from Blue Diamond is my favorite for baking.
Almond Cherry Cake
Moist, light cake, full of almond flavor. It's like a cherry pie in cake form, but simple to make and unique in taste. It's one of my favorites and can easily be made gluten-free!
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick/113 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup plus 2 teaspoons (70 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup (45 g) almond flour*
- 25 sweet cherries, pitted (halved) (I used fresh dark sweet cherries)
- ½ cup (90 g / 3 oz) white chocolate, melted , to drizzle on top (optional)
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 325℉/160℃. Butter a 9-inch round (or 8×8-inch pan for thicker cake).
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In a medium bowl sift together all-purpose flour and baking powder. Add almond flour and mix. Set aside.
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In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugar for about 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy and pale in color.
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Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract. Don’t worry if the batter looks a bit curdled.
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On low speed, add flour mixture and beat just until combined. Do not overmix.
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Spread the batter into prepared baking pan and smooth the top. Arrange cherries on top of the batter. Most will sink while baking.
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Bake for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely on a wire rack. When cool, drizzle with melted white chocolate or sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Recipe Notes
- Make your own almond flour: place blanched almonds in your food processor or blender and pulse until you get a fine, grainy consistency.
- More almond flavor? You can use ½ teaspoon of almond extract in addition to the vanilla to really boost the nuttiness in this cake.
- Double the recipe, use 13×9-inch pan, and bake for longer time.
- To make this recipe gluten free, substitute all-purpose flour with your favorite 1:1 gluten free flour replacement.
Storing and serving:
Serve cake at room temperature.
Store the cake at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
The cake can be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw it on the counter, still covered, or overnight in the fridge.
