How to Make Cherry Cake (Best Cherry Cake Recipe 2026)

If you want the most moist, tender, beautifully fruity cherry cake you have ever made — one that comes together in just 15 minutes of prep and bakes into a soft, buttery crumb bursting with cherries in every slice — this cherry cake recipe is the only one you will ever need. According to Mary Berry’s Cherry Cake, a great cherry cake is all about a soft sponge, well-prepared cherries, and a little extra texture from ground almonds that makes it impossible to stop at one slice.

What Is Cherry Cake & Why You’ll Love It

Cherry cake is a classic British and European bake made by folding fresh, glacé, or jarred cherries into a rich, buttery sponge batter and baking until golden and tender. It sits somewhere between an everyday tea cake and a special-occasion dessert — simple enough to make on a Tuesday afternoon, yet elegant enough to serve at a birthday or holiday gathering.

The beauty of cherry cake is how forgiving and versatile it is — no complicated technique, no special equipment, and no advanced baking skills required. You simply cream the butter and sugar, fold in the cherries, and let the oven do the rest. Within an hour you have a stunning, deeply comforting cake that fills the kitchen with a wonderful buttery, fruity aroma. Much like our Peach Cobbler Recipe, the quality of the fruit is the single biggest factor separating a good cherry cake from an unforgettable one.

What makes homemade cherry cake genuinely special is the contrast between the soft, tender crumb and the little bursts of sweet-tart flavour from the cherries scattered throughout — a contrast that only happens when the cherries are properly dried and lightly floured before folding in, preventing them from sinking to the bottom during baking. Much like our Greek Yogurt Banana Bread, a few small technique details make an enormous difference to the final texture.

Key Benefits:

• Ready in about 1 hour total — simple prep, straightforward bake
• Uses simple pantry ingredients — butter, sugar, eggs, flour, and cherries
• Works as a snack cake, tea cake, or dessert — endlessly versatile
• Naturally customisable — plain, iced, almond-studded, or cream-topped
• Freezes beautifully — slice and freeze individual portions for later
• Tastes even better the next day — flavours settle and deepen overnight
• Perfect for entertaining or everyday baking — elegant enough for guests, easy enough for a Tuesday

🍳 Equipment You’ll Need (3 Items)

• 9-inch round or 900g loaf tin (line with parchment paper and grease well — cherries have a tendency to stick without proper preparation)
• Electric hand mixer or stand mixer (for creaming the butter and sugar to a light, fluffy texture — a hand whisk works but requires significantly more effort)
• Fine sieve (for dusting the finished cake with icing sugar, and for sifting the flour and baking powder together for an evenly leavened crumb)

How to Make Cherry Cake (Best Cherry Cake Recipe 2026)

Recipe by Marco BenilliCourse: DessertCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

10

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

50

minutes

Calories

310

kcal

Total time

1

hour 

5

minutes

The most moist, tender, beautifully fruity cherry cake you will ever make — a soft, buttery sponge bursting with cherries in every slice. Simple enough for a Tuesday afternoon, elegant enough for a birthday or holiday gathering, with a soft crumb that only gets better the next day.

Ingredients

• 🍒 Core Ingredients:

• 225g (1 cup) glacé cherries, rinsed, dried, and halved (or fresh cherries, pitted and dried)

• 225g (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

• 225g (1 cup) granulated sugar

• 4 large eggs, room temperature

• 280g (2¼ cups) all-purpose flour

• 2 tsp baking powder

• ¼ tsp kosher salt

• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

• 2 tbsp whole milk (if needed to loosen batter)

• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour, extra (for coating cherries)

• Zest of 1 lemon (optional, for brightness)

• ✨ Optional Almond Variation:

• 50g (½ cup) ground almonds, replacing 50g of the flour

• ½ tsp almond extract, added alongside vanilla

• 🍰 Simple Lemon Drizzle Icing (optional):

• 100g (¾ cup) icing sugar

• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

• Icing sugar for dusting, if not icing

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and line a 9-inch round cake tin with parchment paper.
• Rinse and thoroughly dry the glacé cherries with paper towels. Toss with 1 tablespoon of flour to lightly coat — this prevents them from sinking during baking.
• In a large bowl, cream the softened butter and sugar together with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 3–4 minutes until noticeably light, pale, and fluffy.
• Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and lemon zest if using.
• In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
• Fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture in two additions, mixing only until just combined — do not overmix. Add milk if the batter feels too thick.
• Gently fold in the flour-coated cherries using a spatula, distributing them evenly throughout the batter.
• Pour the batter into the prepared tin and smooth the top evenly with a spatula.
• Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 45–50 minutes, until golden on top and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few light crumbs.
• Remove from the oven and let cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
• Once fully cooled, dust with icing sugar, or whisk together icing sugar and lemon juice and drizzle over the top. Slice and serve.

Recipe Video

Notes

• Always dry cherries thoroughly — whether fresh, glacé, or jarred, excess moisture causes cherries to sink to the bottom of the cake and can make the surrounding crumb soggy
• Lightly coat cherries in flour before folding in — this simple step helps suspend the cherries evenly throughout the batter instead of all sinking to the bottom
• Never overmix the batter — mix dry ingredients in only until just combined; overmixing develops too much gluten and produces a dense, tough cake
• Use room temperature butter and eggs — cold ingredients don’t emulsify properly and can cause the batter to curdle, resulting in an uneven crumb
• Let the cake cool completely before slicing — slicing a warm cherry cake causes it to crumble; patience rewards you with clean, beautiful slices

Cherry Cake Variations (5 Ways)

The Classic Cherry Cake is the most universally loved and the safest place to start — soft, buttery, and studded with sweet cherries in every bite. The Cherry Almond Cake is the most impressive for entertaining — the ground almonds add a subtle nuttiness and moisture that elevates the whole cake into something genuinely special.

What To Serve With Cherry Cake (Perfect Pairings)

Cherry cake is wonderful on its own, but a few simple additions and pairings make it feel even more special.

🍽️ Food Pairings:

• Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream — served slightly warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting into the cherries is one of the greatest simple dessert combinations
• Lemon drizzle icing — a simple lemon glaze drizzled over the top adds brightness and a beautiful glossy finish
• Peach cobbler — our Peach Cobbler Recipe alongside cherry cake creates a stunning mixed fruit dessert spread for any gathering
• Greek yogurt banana bread — our Greek Yogurt Banana Bread sliced alongside cherry cake makes a beautiful tea-time baking platter
• Hawaiian cheesecake salad — our Hawaiian Cheesecake Salad served alongside cherry cake rounds out a complete, colourful dessert table
• Blueberry muffins — our Blueberry Muffins Recipe alongside cherry cake creates a beautiful mixed fruit baked goods spread

☕ Beverages:

• Hot tea — the classic British pairing; cherry cake and a proper cup of tea is a timeless afternoon tradition
• Coffee — the bitter, roasted notes of coffee balance the sweetness of the cherries beautifully
• Chilled Moscato or sparkling wine — an elegant pairing for serving cherry cake as a dinner party dessert

Expert Tips for Perfect Cherry Cake

✅ Always dry cherries thoroughly before adding to the batter — whether fresh, glacé, or jarred, excess moisture from cherries causes them to sink to the bottom of the cake and can make the surrounding crumb soggy

✅ Lightly coat cherries in flour before folding in — a light dusting of flour helps suspend the cherries evenly throughout the batter instead of all sinking to the bottom during baking

✅ Never overmix the batter — once the dry ingredients go in, mix only until just combined; overmixing develops too much gluten and produces a tough, dense cake instead of a soft, tender one

✅ Cream butter and sugar until genuinely light and fluffy — this step incorporates air into the batter and is essential for a soft, well-risen cake; rushing this step produces a denser result

✅ Use room temperature eggs and butter — cold ingredients don’t emulsify properly and can cause the batter to curdle or separate, resulting in an uneven crumb

✅ Test for doneness with a skewer — insert a skewer into the centre of the cake; it should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs; removing the cake too early causes the centre to collapse

✅ Let the cake cool completely before slicing — slicing a warm cherry cake causes it to crumble and fall apart; patience here rewards you with clean, beautiful slices

Storage Instructions

Make-ahead tip: Cherry cake is a genuinely excellent make-ahead bake — in many cases the flavour actually improves the next day as the cherry notes settle into the crumb and the cake becomes more cohesive. Bake it a day ahead of any gathering for a completely stress-free dessert that tastes even better than fresh.

Nutrition Per Serving (Approximate)

Based on 10 servings, Classic Cherry Cake version with glacé cherries

Troubleshooting

Frequently Asked Questions

❓ Should I use fresh, glacé, or jarred cherries?
All three work well, and the choice depends on personal preference and availability. Fresh cherries (pitted and dried thoroughly) give the brightest, most natural flavour when in season. Glacé cherries are the classic choice for a traditional British cherry cake and add a lovely sweetness and chewy texture. Jarred or canned sour cherries, well-drained, add a pleasant tartness that balances the sweetness of the cake.anitalianinmykitchen+1

❓ Why did my cherries sink to the bottom of the cake?
This happens when cherries are too wet or too heavy for the batter to support during baking. The fix is simple — always dry cherries thoroughly with paper towels, then toss them lightly in a tablespoon of flour before folding into the batter. The flour coating helps the batter grip the cherries and keeps them suspended evenly throughout.

❓ Can I make cherry cake in a loaf tin instead of a round tin?
Yes — a loaf tin produces a denser, more rustic cherry cake that is perfect for picnics and slicing. Baking time may need to increase slightly since loaf tins are deeper than round cake tins; always test with a skewer rather than relying on time alone.

❓ How do I know when cherry cake is fully baked?
Insert a skewer or toothpick into the thickest part of the centre of the cake. It should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it — not wet batter. The top should be golden and spring back lightly when pressed. If the skewer comes out with wet batter, continue baking and check again in 5-minute intervals.

❓ Can I freeze cherry cake?
Yes — cherry cake freezes beautifully. Slice the cooled cake first, then wrap each slice individually in plastic wrap before placing in a freezer bag. This allows you to thaw only what you need rather than the entire cake at once. Thaw at room temperature for 1–2 hours before serving.