Cherry Cake

Cherry Cake! My favourite. This is a traditional recipe made easy using the all-in-one method.

My mother tells the story of my father's first visit to her family home. Granny offered tea and cake and my father duly complimented her on her 'lovely Madeira cake'. Oops! Apparently, my grandmother was a bit miffed - not surprisingly, as she had made her best cherry loaf cake. Unfortunately, my father had a slice with no cherries.

Traditional Cherry Cake

My classic cherry cake recipe is based on Granny's, a cherry Madeira cake really - a nice firm cake, which keeps well. Of all my easy cherry cake recipes, this is my go-to when I want a quick and easy cake. If you want a softer cherry sponge cake recipe with icing see the Iced Cherry Cake recipe.

Key Ingredients in Cherry Cake

Original red or dark natural-dyed cherries?

Whatever you like is the short answer. I often use the darker cherries these days but red are fine too (as here). My only warning, as always, is to check for natural dyes if you have children as E127 isn’t recommended for them.

Butter

This cake is fairly plain, apart from the cherries and a lot of the appeal is in its buttery taste, so it's worth using butter for this recipe. In fact, I always do use butter because I prefer the flavour - and, of course, nearly 100 years ago, my grandmother would have only used butter!

Ground almonds

Nothing beats the flavours of a cherry and almond cake. The ground almonds also add texture and help the cake keep longer by retaining moisture. If you want extra almond flavour, add a few drops of almond extract.

Ring the changes

Make a Fresh Cherry Cake

During the short season that you can buy fresh cherries, you could use those instead. You need 250g cherries, washed and stoned to give about 220g to use. Cut them into halves and/or quarters. Cooking time is the same.

See the recipe for Fresh Cherry Cake for more details.

Make a round Cherry Cake

Cook the cake in a 7-inch/18cm deep round tin. Cooking time is the same.

Secrets of Success

Easy, all-in-one method

As with most of my cakes, this cherry loaf cake is made using the all-in-one method - put everything in the bowl and mix it well. Two points to bear in mind:

You need soft butter

Your butter does need to be very soft if you're attempting this by hand. If it isn't very soft, try helping it along in the microwave for 10 seconds at a time - but be careful not to overdo it.

Mix the cherries by hand

Don't include the cherries in your all-in-one mix. They must be added at the end, by hand even if you did the rest with a machine. What you don't want is a pink cake with flecks of cherry

How to get cherries in every slice of cake

1. I use a lot more cherries than the original recipe so they aren't so thinly spread

2. Wash and dry the cherries before you use them to avoid too much sinkage. (Although I'm not too bothered about that mostly.)

3. Quarter the cherries so they aren't so heavy. I don't actually do this - I always halve the cherries - because for me a cherry cake is all about big chunks of cherry! 

4. (I've also never done this because I can't be bothered), keep some of the cherries back and poke them into the mixture once it's in the tin. It's probably only worth doing when you want to impress someone - like a would-be suitor for your daughter.

Why is my cake dry?

If your cakes turn out dry, check out my article Why Is My Cake Dry? for some of the most common reasons and the solutions.

Can you freeze Cherry Cake?

Cherry Cake freezes well. Wrap in foil or, I've recently tried beeswax wraps, which work well. Keep for up to 3 months. If you don't eat much cake, you can cut it in half and freeze half for later. I often make two cakes and freeze one for later, as it's so more-ish.

What equipment do you need?

• Baking parchment loaf tin liner - Line the tin with a liner and forget about it sticking, or greasing the tin - and the washing up is easier too. Leave the cake in the liner if you're freezing the cake, or while storing in the fridge to keep it moist

• Beeswax Loaf Wraps - I'm trying to reduce the amount of clingfilm, foil and plastic bags that I use, and my biggest problem has been something to wrap loaf cakes in for the freezer. I've now found large beeswax loaf wraps that will cover a loaf of bread, and are ideal for loaf cakes. They're washable and you can even rejuvenate them. Definitely worth a look.

If you like this...

...Why don’t you try:

Iced Cherry Cake

Iced Cherry Cake, made in a loaf tin, is a favourite for afternoon tea. Easy to make using the all-in-one method, this cake will keep for a couple of weeks.

Cherry Scones

An easy recipe for Cherry Scones that doesn't need an egg. Serve with butter (or cream and jam) for a teatime treat for the whole family.

Cherry and Almond Traybake

Quick and easy Cherry and Almond Traybake. Great for tea or pudding.

Stockists

2lb loaf tin

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Baking parchment loaf tin liner

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Beeswax Loaf Wraps

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Recipe

Print Recipe

4.75 from 16 votes

Cherry Cake

The ultimate cherry cake! This is my grandmother's recipe and has a lovely buttery, cherry taste.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course: Teatime

Cuisine: British

Keyword: loaf cake

Servings: 12 slices

Author: Susie@Everyday Cooks

Ingredients

Metric - US Customary

• 200 g glacé cherries, save 3 or 4 for the top if desired.
• 225 g self-raising flour
• 160 g butter, at room temperature
• 160 g caster sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 25 g ground almonds
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5ml)

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

2lb loaf tin

Baking parchment loaf tin liner

Beeswax loaf wrap

Instructions

Preparation:

• Set the oven to 180°C/ 160°C fan/ gas mark 4/ 350°F
• Grease a 2lb loaf tin with butter or use a paper liner
• Halve the cherries, then wash in warm water and dry.

  This will remove the syrup and stop them sinking too much. Quarter them if you want a better distribution. If you're short of time, don't bother to wash. The cherries may sink but the cake will still taste fabulous
  200 g glacé cherries,

For the cake:

• Put all the ingredients except the cherries into a large bowl and mix well with a mixer or in a food processor.
  225 g self-raising flour, 160 g butter,, 160 g caster sugar, 3 large eggs, 25 g ground almonds, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Add the cherries and fold in with a large spoon until they are evenly distributed through the mixture.
  200 g glacé cherries,
• Put the cake mixture into the prepared tin and make a slight dip along the centre to stop it peaking when cooked
• Put a few extra cherries on top and dredge with castor sugar
• Cook for 45-60 minutes until well risen and golden and a skewer comes out clean
• Take the cake out of the oven and leave in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool

Notes

As with all cakes, the actual cooking time depends on your oven so check the cake after 45 minutes with a skewer or cake thermometer.

Storage

The cake will keep for a week in an airtight tin or plastic box, or longer if kept in the fridge. It freezes well for a couple of months

Everyday Cooks tip

Make two at a time and freeze one. If your family is small, or you don't eat much cake (?!), cut the cake(s) in two and freeze each half separately.