I was a bit surprised to find cherries at one of our local shops last week. I usually don’t start looking for them until late summer. Regardless of how they appeared, it took me about five seconds to decide to buy some.
I’ve been dreaming of baking with cherries all spring. The only problem was where to start. This has been a busy week for me, so I decided to start simple. I created a little baking break and quickly mixed up a version of this Almond Cherry Cake I found while browsing Martha Stewart.
Cherries and almonds go together so well. They are actually related! For all you food geeks (like me) out there, the trees that produce them belong to the same genus. For the non-geeks, I’m sure you already know that the flavors of the two are just lovely together.
This is an incredibly simple cake to make. Honestly, it took me longer to pit all those cherries than to make the cake. I like almond extract in small doses, and the amount in this cake is just right for me. There’s just enough to give it some extra flavor. You can also substitute vanilla extract, which would be a great complement to all those cherries and almonds, too.
The original recipe suggests baking this cake in a deep-dish pie plate. I feared that my solitary pie plate wouldn’t be quite large enough, so I used a springform pan. For mini versions, you could use mini pie plates, mini springform pans, or even small ramekins or bakers.
If you don’t have access to fresh cherries just yet, you can use frozen cherries. Or, use your favorite berry in place of the cherries. Most any fruit will work well with all that almond flavor.
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Almond Cherry Cake
Almond Cherry Cake is a simple, sweet cake featuring one of the very best flavor combinations - cherries and almonds!
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 12 ounces cherries (about 2 cups), pitted, rinsed, & dried
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9- or 10-inch springform pan.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the almond extract.
- Reduce mixer speed to low, and gradually add flour mixture. Mix just until combined. Do not overmix.
- Transfer the batter to prepared pan. Scatter the cherries and almonds over the top of the batter.
- Bake 45-50 minutes, or until a pick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Recipe slightly adapted from Everyday Food.
20 Comments on “Almond Cherry Cake”
I’ve had cherries and almonds on my mind, so does this ever look good! I’m going to pick up some cherries at the farmer’s market tonight and get going on this!
This sounds like such a delight! Yum!
Lovely! I really like making simple-but-delicious cakes like this that need no frosting!
No cherries here yet, but once I see them I NEED to make this
Dang it! I’m sitting here browsing all my favorite blog sites while snacking on the cherries I just bought from my local market; I just ate them all gone!!!! Grrrr! Back to the market….
This looks fabulous! I obviously love me some cherries!
Growing-up in Colorado, cherries were a staple during the summer. My mother would can them and serve cherries as our dessert all winter. Now living in the Midwest, cherries are a rare treat. I would love to make this cake.
Seriously? I was just dreaming of cherries and almond! This looks deliciously simple…totally adding it to my “to make” list 😉
Yum~
This cake looks great! Cherries and almonds are the perfect pair. I always find cherries starting in May and they are so welcome after the long winter.
I bought my first cherries of the season last weekend also! And I love them paired with almonds. this cake looks so good!
I have called myself a cherry hater for over 20 years. This recipe has changed my mind! It is fabulous.
Ha! Sometimes it just takes one thing to change your mind. That’s happened to me many times.
This is such a great recipe. I’ve made it a lot and I want to thank you.
I often bring it to a friend’s house when I want to bring a treat but not something “desserty.” I’ve made it for breakfast, I’ve made it for brunch, I’ve made it for afternoon tea. I use frozen cherries that have thawed, and I use maybe 50 percent more cherries and almonds than you call for.
Thanks for bringing this cake into my life!
How wonderful, Anne! I’m so glad this cake has been so versatile for you.
I can’t wait to try this recipe as I absolutely love cherries. I wanted to clarify, though, are the cherries in your recipes sweet or sour? We are enjoying sweet cherries from Washington State right now here in NC, so I’m anxious to try them in your almond cherry cake.
Hi, Sheila. Either kind is fine, but I most often use sweet cherries.
Jennifer, Do you use the bright red sour cherries or the dark red “bing” cherries for this? They are such different flavors, I am wondering if any adjustments need to made if using one over the other. Thank you!
Hi, Edie. I usually use regular red cherries. I think their sweetness works well here.
I made this last week. It was an excellent cake.
I used sour cherries, frozen then defrosted and drained, then sprinkled with flour to try to stop settling. That partially worked. I used only 1/3 cup sugar and it was sweet enough.
Thanks for the recipe.
I’m glad you enjoyed it!