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    Home » Cakes and Desserts

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    Easy Cherry Bakes

    Who doesn't love a cherry cake? Large and small, plain and iced, with a couple of biscuits/cookies thrown in, these are my top cherry cake recipes.

    8 different cherry cakes and pictures of cherries

    One of the first recipes I cooked as a child was for Cherry Buns. I still use the same recipe for buns but have branched out into other cake forms since then. Much as I love cake in all its incarnations, for me there is something very special about a cherry cake.

    And of course, there are endless debates about the best cherries and how to use them:

    Dyed or undyed cherries?

    Of course, all cherries are dyed. The difference is whether they're dyed bright red or dark red. The latter is labelled a natural dye which comes from fruit and/or vegetables. These days bright red cherries are often dyed with similar products, but some may still use E127 which is not recommended for consumption by children, so it's really important to read the label if you're buying red cherries. What you want are fruit or vegetable dyes, which might also be called anthocyanins.

    How to stop that sinking feeling

    Whenever I mention making a Cherry Cake of any description, people start talking about cherries sinking. There are two schools of thought on preventing this - wash them or coat them in flour.

    What makes cherries sink is the syrup. If you coat them in flour you just bind the flour to the syrup and the cherries are heavier. So cut the cherries up, wash them in tepid water and dry on a clean tea towel.

    I sometimes add a third method - do nothing. This is occasionally my preferred option, e.g. when I'm in the mood for cake and I don't actually care where the cherries end up.

    Halves or quarters?

    If you really want a cake with evenly distributed cherries you need to quarter them. Quartering them does mean that a) there are more pieces to get distributed, and b) they are lighter so are less likely to sink.

    But if you really love cherry cakes and like a decent piece of cherry, cut them in half. This is my preference - bigger pieces and never mind if they sink, especially in my grandmother's Cherry Cake.

    So, as with a lot of baking, you pays your money and takes your choice. For well-distributed cherries, quarter them, wash, and dry. If you don't care, do nothing. Or take my compromise of halving and washing for a decent chunk of cherry.

    Cherry cakes

    A lighter, iced cake or a slightly denser, Madeira-style cake, which keeps a bit longer.

    Iced Cherry Cake with a slice cut, on a white plate.

    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 Cake on a grey plate with part of a slice of cake to the left

    Cherry Cake

    The ultimate cherry cake! This is my grandmother's recipe and has a lovely buttery, cherry taste.
    Fresh Cherry Cake, with a slice removed, on a patterned plate

    Fresh Cherry Cake

    An easy Fresh Cherry Cake recipe, based on a Madeira cake, to make the most of fresh cherries in a semi-sweet classic cake.

    Cherry cupcakes

    From Cherry Buns that are ideal for children to make, to a rather decadent Triple Cherry Cupcake, which I often make for charity coffee mornings. Or if you like almonds, try a Cherry Bakewell cupcake.

    Three Triple Cherry Cupcakes on the worktop

    Triple Cherry Cupcakes

    Triple Cherry Cupcakes are cherry cakes with cherry-flavoured buttercream icing and a maraschino cherry on top.
    One whole and one cut Cherry Bakewell Cupcakes on a plate.

    Cherry Bakewell Cupcakes

    Cherry Bakewell Cupcakes have an almond cake with raspberry jam, iced and topped with a cherry.

    Cherry Buns

    Cherry Buns are fun and easy to make with kids. Great for a family tea or party.

    Cherry traybake

    Traybakes are ideal when you have a lot of people to feed and not so much time. I often make one for the tea tent at the village show or when it's my turn to make the cakes at WI.

    Squares of cherry and almond traybake on a slate

    Cherry and Almond Traybake

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

    Cherry biscuits

    If you prefer some crunch, try some cookies or a flapjack.

    Chocolate Cherry Cookies on a slate tray.

    Chocolate Cherry Cookies

    Chocolate Cherry Cookies – use any type of chocolate or cherries you like for a double treat.
    A stack of pieces of Cherry Flapjack on a white plate

    Cherry Flapjack

    Cherry Flapjack is soft and chewy or crisp and crunchy depending on how long you cook it.
    Stack of three Cherry Shortbread biscuits with more in the background

    Cherry Shortbread

    Buttery round shortbread biscuits full of cherries.

    Pin for later

    Hover over any picture on the page and hit the Save button to pin the image to one of your Pinterest boards.

    8 different cherry cakes and pictures of cherries

    More Everyday Cake, Bakes and Dessert Recipes

    • Sherry Trifle decorated with cream and raspberries in a crystal bowl on a dark worktop
      Sherry Trifle
    • Small Christmas Loaf Cake decorated with marzipan, icing and marzipan stars. Two mugs of tea and a Christmas decorations in the background.
      Easy Christmas Loaf Cake
    • Half a Coconut Loaf Cake with a slice cut on a grey plate
      Coconut Loaf Cake
    • Stack of 6 Anzac Biscuits on a square white plate
      Anzac Biscuits

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    Hi, I'm Susie. Mostly I love cooking and baking, but combining work and home life often leaves me feeling that providing healthy, tasty food for my family is a chore. On those days I am decidedly an Everyday Cook...

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