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Black Cherry Sour Cream Coffee Cake

This Black Cherry Sour Cream Coffee Cake offers a fruity twist on coffee cake with a ribbon of sweet cherry jam running through it. Perfect for a sweet snack any time of day!

slice of black cherry sour cream coffee cake on a white plate with remaining cake in the background

Easy Cherry Coffee Cake Bundt

As much as I like baking with fresh fruit, I usually keep several varieties of jams and preserves on-hand. They’re great for adding to all kinds of things – from breakfast treats to bars to cheesecakes.

This is one of those all-occasion, anytime cakes. It’s called a coffee cake, so it has a built-in excuse to be eaten early in the day. Plus, it would serve proudly as a dessert for most any meal.

overhead view of black cherry sour cream coffee cake partially sliced on a cake stand

Why You’ll Love This Cherry Coffee Cake Recipe

Here are just a few reasons to love this cherry cake:

  • Delicate. Unlike a lot of coffee cakes, this isn’t a heavy cake. Instead, it has a lovely, delicate texture.
  • Flavorful. The addition of cherry adds a nice burst of flavor.
  • Versatile. This cake is great for anything from brunch to dessert!

What You’ll Need

If you’ve got jam, then you’ve likely got everything else you need to whip up this cherry cake. See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

overhead view of ingredients for black cherry sour cream coffee cake
  • All-purpose flour – Measure by weight or use the spoon and sweep method. Learn more: How to Measure Flour
  • Baking powder
  • Salt
  • Unsalted butter – Let the butter soften at room temperature. It should still be cool and hold a thumbprint when pressed. Learn more: How to Soften Butter
  • Granulated sugar
  • Eggs – Set these out along with the butter to let them come to room temperature.
  • Sour cream – Bring this to room temperature, too.
  • Vanilla extract
  • Black cherry jam – Black cherry flavor is slightly sweeter than regular sweet red cherries. The “black” part of the name simply refers to how dark they are versus other red cherries.
  • Confectioners sugar – If you like, sprinkle some powdered sugar over the top of the cake before serving.
overhead view of slices of black cherry sour cream coffee cake on white plates

How to Make Black Cherry Sour Cream Coffee Cake

This cake mixes quickly and easily for a simple baking project. Here’s what you’ll need to do:

Prepare for baking. Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan, which should have about a 12-cup capacity.

Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Combine the wet ingredients. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter until light and creamy. Add the sugar and keep beating until fluffy. Mix in the eggs one at a time, and mix well after adding each. Then, mix in the sour cream and vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix just until combined.

Make the cherry filling. In a separate bowl, combine 1/2 cup of the cake batter with the cherry jam.

Assemble the cake. Transfer the remaining cake batter to the prepared pan. Make a 1-inch trough in the center of the batter all the way around the pan. Spoon the cherry filling into the indentation.

Bake. Place the pan in the heated oven, and bake for 60 to 70 minutes. The top should be golden brown, the cake will have begun pulling away from the sides of the pan, and a pick inserted into the center should come out clean.

Cool. Place the pan on a wire rack, and allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes. Then invert the cake onto a rack to cool completely. If you like, sprinkle confectioners’ sugar on top of the cake before serving.

overhead view of black cherry sour cream coffee cake dusted with powdered sugar

Tips for Success

Here are a few tips to help make sure you cherry coffee cake turns out perfectly:

  • Thoroughly grease the pan. I recommend using a cooking spray with flour, like Baker’s Joy or Pam Baking. Make sure to get all the nooks and crannies in your Bundt pan. Wait to spray the pan until you’re ready to fill the pan so the spray won’t settle at the bottom.
  • Don’t over-mix. Too much mixing means tough, dense cake.
  • Make a trough for the cherry mixture. Nothing elaborate – you can simply use a spoon to do this. This may seem like a fussy step, but it helps to keep the filling from over-spreading.
a slice of black cherry sour cream coffee cake on a white plate with remaining cake behind

Ideas for Variations

While this cherry version is delicious, you can easily substitute another flavor of jam for a different flavor option. Try strawberry, blueberry, peach, or any flavor you like!

Cherries and almonds are a great pair, too, so try using almond extract instead of vanilla extract.

partially sliced black cherry sour cream coffee cake on a cake stand

How to Store

Place the cooled cake in an airtight container and store at room temperature up to 3 days. You can extend that by a couple of days by placing it in the refrigerator, but just make extra sure the container is well-sealed or it may become dry.

Can This Coffee Cake Be Frozen?

Absolutely! I like to wrap individual slices in plastic wrap and store in a zip-top freezer bag. You can also wrap the entire cake or a section of remaining cake, and then place in a freezer container or wrap again in aluminum foil. Properly stored, the cake should keep in the freezer up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.

overhead view of a slice of black cherry sour cream coffee cake on a white plate

Black Cherry Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Yield 10-12 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes

Black cherry preserves help make this Black Cherry Sour Cream Coffee Cake a lovely, sweet cake that's great for dessert or a coffee break.

overhead view of sliced black cherry coffee cake on a white cake stand

Ingredients

  • 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 & 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 cup (226g) sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup black cherry jam
  • confectioners' sugar, optional for serving

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan.
  2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  3. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter until light and creamy. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the sour cream and vanilla, beating until smooth.
  4. Reduce mixer speed to low. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing just until blended.
  5. Transfer 1/2 cup of batter to a small bowl. Stir in the jam, mixing well. Set aside.
  6. Pour the remaining batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Make a 1-inch trough in the center of the batter all the way around the pan. Spoon the jam mixture into the trough, spreading evenly.
  7. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a pick inserted into the center comes out clean and the cake begins pulling away from the edges of the pan.
  8. Cool the cake in the pan for about 15 minutes. Then, invert the cake onto a wire rack to cool completely.
  9. If desired, dust the cake with confectioners' sugar before serving.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Stonewall Kitchen.

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    37 Comments on “Black Cherry Sour Cream Coffee Cake”

  1. This sounds amazing! I bet the tart, moist and sweet flavor combination from the cherries and sour cream is fabulous. I’ve been in a pomegranate mood lately so I would love to try it with that or even rhubarb! Thanks for sharing.

    • My mother had a recipe it was called black cherry coffee cake it had AA dough that spicy and it was raised with vinegar soda After the cake was mixed it was poured into a greased Pan and topped with canned black cherries sprinkled on top of it and then there was a mixture of butter Brown sugar flour and cinnamon mixed together and crumbled that on top and baked it was delicious and I can’t find the recipe

  2. Aww yeah! I need to get on this! Yum!

  3. How lovely! Coffee cakes are so versatile and always great for a crowd. Can’t wait to try this, pinned!

  4. I know what you mean about out-of-control bookmark lists!

    What a lovely looking cake and so very easy to make!

    There’s another bookmark…

  5. looks amazing…. i know exactly what you mean. i have cookbooks, along with 23948234 pages of printed recipes, 234982349234 bookmarks, and just as many “pins” …. some day…. maybe…. i will make them lol

  6. ok so maybe i’m dumb, or just not totally awake (i’m missing my morning coffee)….

    but if you are putting the jam mixture on the top of the batter (so, the bottom of the cake) how does it become a layer at the top of the cake? o.O magic????

    • Nick, it’s not so much magic as it is gravity. It sinks to the bottom of the pan, which is the top of the cake. All that jam is a lot heavier than cake batter. Actually, without mixing the jam with some of the batter, it would likely sink all the way down and create quite a mess.

  7. It’s beautiful!! I love a great coffee cake, it makes me feel okay to have it at 8:00 am 😉

  8. This are my favourite type of cake, I love the addition of jam

  9. thanks, jennifer 🙂 i’m a converted skeptic.

  10. Hi Jennifer,
    looks wonderful, as always.
    Just wondering, do you think Nutella (my favorite jam, I guess) could work here as well? Or is it going to be too sweet?
    Thank you for a delightful blog!

    • Michelle, it’s worth a shot. I think the flavor would be fine. I’d be more concerned about it sinking to the bottom.

    • Thanks for the recipe. How many cups are in a 10 inch pan, I have several of various sizes and like to make some smaller. I’m thinking of my quad pan since there are only two of us here.

      • Hi, Karen. Most 10-inch Bundt pans have a 12-cup capacity, but the design of the pan can change that. You can add one cup of water at a time to your empty pan to figure out your specific pan’s capacity.

  11. Just made this with strawberry rhubarb jam (that’s what I had on hand) and it is wonderful! Mine baked in just 50 minutes and is perfectly baked… moist and light. Thank you for the recipe.

  12. Jennifer, how would you say this cake stores? Is it just as good day 2 as day 1? Thanks. Gonna try it next weekend.

  13. NRS, it’s definitely just as good the second day. I stored it in an airtight container for 3 days.

  14. Finally found stonewall kitchen black cherry jam at the whole foods at time warner center. This cake is very very yum! thanks for the recipe!

  15. Mmm thanks for the recipe! I made this with sour cherry jam instead, and used buttermilk inplace of sour cream (too lazy to go to the store) it came out yummy and cooked about 20 minutes early.

  16. This was really good! I made it as written, Thanks for posting this recipe. My family ate up one yesterday, and it was nice to have the second one handy this morning for a fast breakfast. I’ll definately be making this one agian.

  17. This was spectacular!  I had some cherry jam waiting to be used up and made this cake on a whim.  The sour cream gives it such a fantastic texture.  I bet it could be wonderful with strawberry jam, too.  Or any flavor, for that matter!

  18. I made it with fresh frozen black cherries (from my in-laws’ trees). I just added a bit of sugar, a touch of salt, and some vanilla to the thawed, whole/half black cherries (capulies here in Ecuador) and did not add the batter to them. It came out wonderfully. I made muffins with half the batter, which worked very well. My in-laws will be so excited to have THEIR black cherries “back” and some 6 months out of season. (I also added ground ginger to the batter and to the black cherries, which added a nice bit of extra flavor.) Thanks for the recipe!

  19. 1 tablespoon of baking powder, is that correct..  just checking before I make it. 

    Thank you

  20. Thank you Jennifer…

  21. This cake sounds great, do you think this would work with cherry pie filling?

  22. I don’t want to mess up a good thing but I’ve been on an almond roll…what do u think if I sub the vanilla for almond extract?  Thank you for your recipes!  I’ve loved every one that I’ve tried!  Xoxo

  23. Bleached or unbleached flour? Protein content of all purpose flour varies among different brands- just wondering what kind you used because the cake looks so perfect! Also wondering if chopped peaches would work in place of the jam. 

    • Hi, Kim. I use unbleached flour, usually King Arthur. Jam might add more moisture to the cake, so just look out for that. You might sprinkle them with a little flour just to offset that a bit.

  24. This was SO good! We subbed chopped peaches for the jam 😋

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