Subtly sweet and perfectly packable, this Cherry Almond Cake is the easy recipe you will turn to all summer long. With no fancy icings or frostings needed, you can whip this up in a jiff for your next summer picnic!
Cherries are the star of this almond cake, they are a real scene stealer! Like in these chocoalte cherry scones or cherry galettes, the cherries are bright, sweet and delicately tart. Together with the nutty flavor of almond, you cannot beat this cake!
Ingredients
This cherry cake is fantastic because it comes together with just a handful of ingredients, no fancy extras are needed here!
- Almond flour. Finely ground almond flour, or almond meal, is available at most grocery stores. It still leaves a little more texture in the cake than a traditional wheat flour, but I personally do not like to sift the almond flour – that texture is a great addition to this simple cake.
- All-purpose flour. This lightens up the cake a bit. To use only almond flour makes for a very stodgy cake.
- Baking powder. This gives the cake a lift in the oven. We are using baking powder only here because we do not have an acid to activate baking soda.
- Eggs. Gives our cake the structure.
- Vanilla and almond extracts. These bring out the flavor. In a simple cake, the flavor is key!
- Unsalted butter. Many of my cakes use both butter and oil, but here only butter is needed. Almond have a natural oil to them for a rich cake!
- Granulated sugar. Just enough for a subtly sweet cake.
- Cherries. Fresh or frozen cherries will work; just make sure pits are no where to be found!
What is great about this cake?
- Almonds and cherries star in this cake. Almonds are featured three ways and large pops of cherries are sprinkled throughout.
- Slivered almonds and halved cherries dotted on top is a beautiful topping for this cake. No extra decoration needed!
- The almond cake is rich, moist and fluffy while being stury enough to support the cherries!
- Because no there are no buttercreams or icings required, this cake packs easily for summer trips, picnics, or days at the pool.
How to Make a Cherry Snack Cake
I adore this cake for the simplicity and ease. Don’t get me wrong, a baking project is fantastic, but sometimes you just need to whip together something quick and easy, and this cherry cake fits the bill.
There’s still a few tips are tricks for a perfect cake:
Whip the butter and sugar well. Don’t be afraid to let the butter and sugar really whip up on high until it is very light and fluffy. Give this the full 5-7 minutes noted. This will give us a light and airy base for the cake.
Avoid over-mixing. When adding the almond flour/flour mixture, add gently and go in 3 additions. Alternating adding the flours and milk will prevent over-mixing and creating a tough cake. When there is a few streaks of flour left, switch from the mixer to a spatula and stir in the final streaks with the cherries.
Adding the toppings. Reserve a few cherry halves from the cake batter. I placed about 12 halves on top along with some sliced almonds. Because we are not topping this cake with any icings, the decorations on top become the stunner.
Prepare your pan. I like to bake this cake in an 8″ pan. If you have an 8″ springform pan, now is a great time to use it, but that is not a very common size. So grease your standard cake tin well (Baker’s Joy is a great spray for this) and line the bottom with parchment paper. This will ensure the cake tips out easily.
You can also use a more common 9″ springform pan, but your cake will be a bit thinner.
Baking with Cherries
Cherries are very forgiving in baked goods. They are sturdy and hold up so well! Whether fresh or frozen, there’s really minimal effort that is needed to prep them.
Halved cherries work great in this cake, but make sure they are pitted first! To pit the cherries, unless you have a cherry pitter, use a skewer or chopstick and push the pits out from the center. Or, my favorite way, set a piping tip on the counter and push the cherry down on top.
The cherry will break in half and the pit will be gone! No extra cutting necessary.
If you are using frozen cherries, there is no need to defrost them, simply slice and keep frozen until ready to mix into the cake batter. If you do defrost them, you may just get some streaks of cherry juice in the cake. Nothing to worry about!
Variations
Not a cherry fan? You can easily replace the cherries with a berry that you love – raspberries or blueberries are a great choice! You can also make this cake as a basic almond cake with no extra add-ins.
Frequently Asked Questions
Your favorite variety of sweet cherry is great here. Look for a darker garnet red cherry for the best flavor. Frozen cherries will work too!
Store cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Yes, you can grind whole almonds in a food processor into a fine powder. Sift out any remaining large pieces.
Cherry Almond Cake
Equipment
- 8" cake tin or springform pan
Ingredients
- 180 g all-purpose flour
- 120 g almond flour
- 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 113 g unsalted butter room temperature
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
- ¾ cup whole milk room temperature
- 150 g halved & pitted cherries 10-12 held for topping
- 3 tablespoons sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Spray and flour an 8" cake pan or springform pan, line bottom with parchment paper.
- Whisk together flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl, set aside.180 g all-purpose flour, 120 g almond flour, 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- In the bowl of a stand-mixer, or in a large bowl with a hand-mixer, whip together butter and sugar on high until light and fluffy, about 5-7 minutes. Scrape down sides as needed with rubber spatula.113 g unsalted butter, 150 g granulated sugar
- With mixer on low, add eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. Add extracts.2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons almond extract
- Alternate adding flour mixture in three additions and milk (flour – milk – flour – milk- flour) until a few streaks of flour remain. Switching to a rubber spatula, stir in last bits of flour and cherries (keeping 10-12 cherry halves aside for the top). Batter will look slightly grainy due to the texture of the almonds.3/4 cup whole milk, 150 g halved & pitted cherries
- Transfer batter to prepared cake tin. Smooth into a single layer. Place remaining cherry halves, cut side up, evenly on top. Press down cherries slightly. Sprinkle almond slices evenly over top. Bake for 40-45 minutes until cake is golden brown and toothpick comes out with moist crumbs but no wet batter.3 tablespoons sliced almonds
- Cool completely before tipping out of tin.
Notes
- Fresh or frozen cherries can be used. Do not defrost frozen cherries.
- Store cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Disclaimer: We test all recipes using the metric weights shown, we cannot guarantee outcomes when switching to US measurements.
I made this for my mom-she loves cherries. Big hit! Thank you!