This succulent fresh cherry cake is incredibly delicious! The cherry filling only takes 5 ingredients, and the moist vanilla cake is topped with a sweetened buttercream frosting that is so creamy and irresistible. That you can replicate this recipe with success, I share a detailed step-by-step photo guide and a video in this post. By the way, have you tried my lemon blueberry cake?
Step-by-step video tutorial
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Baking instructions (photo tutorial)
Preheat the oven and prepare the baking pans. Then, in a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt to combine and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, oil, and sugar until creamy.
Then add one egg at a time and mix until well combined. Mix in the vanilla as well.
Alternately add dry ingredients and buttermilk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Stir just until combined. Divide batter into the two prepared baking pans equally. Then bake and let cool.
Place the cherries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and water in a large saucepan and cook until the cherries get soft. Stir constantly.
Blend the cooking cherries with an immersion blender and cook until the filling has thickened and reduced by about â…“. Stir constantly. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. It will thicken as it cools.
Tip: You can use the filling to make homemade pop tarts!
Let's go on with the buttercream. In a large mixing bowl beat butter until super creamy.
Add 1 cup powdered sugar at a time and beat on low speed until combined. When all the sugar is in, beat on medium speed until the sugar is dissolved. Then stir in the vanilla.
Mix in 1 tablespoon heavy cream at a time until you reach the desired consistency. The buttercream should be creamy and fluffy but firm enough to spread. I added 3 tbsp. Add a pinch of salt to your taste and stir to combine.
Note: I recorded a video to show you how I assemble the cake. You can find it at the top of the post.
Expert tips
- Don't overmix the cake batter or the cake will be dry and dense.
- Level the tops of the cake by cutting off the doomed tops (if there are any) with a long knife before frosting for stability and good presentation.
- Although frozen cherries work fine, I recommend using fresh sweet cherries to get the best results.
FAQs
It's important to note you can completely replace the cherries with something else, but don't use more than 1 pound (454g) of fruit total. Here are some of my tested favorites: Blueberries, Peaches, and Blackberries.
This recipe is designed for sweet cherries such as Bing, Lambert, or Lapins. However, if you desire sour cherries to pair with the sweetness of the cake, English Morello or Montmorency also work.
Storage
It should be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. On average, this cherry cake will last around 2 days. Don't set it out longer than 2 hours, or it will go bad quicker.
Freezing
Either wrap the entire cake up with plastic wrap or tin foil or wrap individual slices. Then place it in a freezer bag or airtight storage container. It will last 3 months in the freezer. To serve, place it in the fridge overnight and it will be ready the next day.Â
More cake recipes to try
- Peaches and Cream Cake
- Black Forest Cake
- Raspberry Cake
- Flourless Chocolate Cake
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake
Recipe
Fresh Cherry Cake Recipe From Scratch
Ingredients
cake
- 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup canola oil or mild vegetable oil
- 1 ½ cups granulated white sugar
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3 vanilla beans* (or 3tsp vanilla extract)
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk, at room temperature
filling
- 2 cups fresh cherries, pitted (when frozen thaw first)
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ cup water
frosting
- 1 ¼ cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 cups unpacked powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 vanilla beans* (or 2 teaspoon vanilla extract)
- 2-4 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line the bottom and the sides of two 8" (20cm) baking pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt and stir to combine. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl with a stand or handheld mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat butter, oil, and sugar until creamy for about 2-3 minutes. Add one egg at a time and mix until fully incorporated. Add vanilla* and stir to combine. Alternately add dry ingredients and buttermilk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Stir just until combined. Divide batter into the two prepared baking pans equally. Bake for 30-33 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Don't overbake or the cake will be dry. Let cool to room temperature.
- Place the cherries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and water in a large saucepan and bring over medium heat to a boil. Cook for 5-8 minutes until the cherries get soft. Stir constantly. Blend the cooking cherries with an immersion blender and cook for another 5-8 minutes or until the filling has thickened and reduced by about â…“. Stir constantly. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. It will thicken as it cools.
- In a large mixing bowl beat butter on medium speed until super creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Add 1 cup powdered sugar at the time and beat on low speed until combined. When all the sugar is in, beat on medium speed until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in vanilla*. Mix in 1 tablespoon heavy cream at the time until you reach your desired consistency. The buttercream should be creamy and fluffy but firm enough to spread. I added exactly 3 tbsp. Add a pinch of salt and stir to combine.
- Cut a thin layer off the tops of your cakes to create a flat surface. Then cut each cake in half horizontally. Place one cake layer on a cake stand or serving plate. Spread ¼ of the buttercream over the cake. The buttercream should be higher around the edges that it holds the cherry filling inside the cake. Layer with ⅓ of the cherry filling (where the buttercream is lower). Repeat two more times. Place the last cake layer on top and lightly frost the outside and the sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. Chill 4 hours in the fridge. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Notes
Video
You can find the video in the post above. If you don't see a video, please check your browser settings.
shannon
making this cake for thanksgiving but with cranberry filling. Just made the buttercream and can't stop eating spoonfuls of it! I added a little lemon juice to cut the sweetness! I usually buy buttercream for my cakes, but I didn't know how easy it is to make and taste 100% better! Thanks for the recipe!
Sabine
I'm happy that you like the recipe! Cranberry filling sounds incredible! I actually have a white chocolate orange cake with cranberry filling on my blog. So, just in case you are looking for a recipe for the upcoming holidays 😉 Happy Thanksgiving!
Kai
Hi Sabine
Your cakes are the best! Yours are the only ones I make that turn out super! For this recipe, I don't have an immersion blender... Can I use a food processor? Or a blender? Won't it be too liquified? Or can I use a hand blender? Can't wait to make this cake!! Thanks so much!!
Elri
Hi Sabine 🙂
Love the recipe, would just like to know if I can substitute the buttermilk with normal milk?
Elri
Sabine
Hi Elri, yes, you can do that. Just use 1 1/2 cups of milk and replace 1 1/2 tbsp with white vinegar or fresh lemon juice to have 1 1/2 cups of liquid in total. Hope that helps.
Amber
Thank you for such a wonderful recipe. The flavors were lovely melded together. I made slight modifications -- a few pinches of salt in the buttercream to cut the sweetness, and I replaced 1/2 tsp of the vanilla with almond extract. I look forward to trying more recipes from your site!
Sabine
Thank you so much, Amber! I'm super happy that you like it. Almon extract sounds lovely.
Sasha
How far in advance can you make the cherry filling and how would you store it (refrigerator?) great recipe!
Sabine
You can do the cherry filling one day in advance and can store it covered at room temperature. Hope that helps!
Anne MacFadyen
Question, I know fresh is always best but not easy to find good ones in with her time around here. Could you use frozen cherries?
Sabine
Yes, absolutely fine. Thaw frozen cherries and proceed as described.
Joni
Can you use a different kind of fruit, such as peaches or blueberries?..
Sabine
Yes absolutely. You can find recipes with peach, cherry, cranberry, and blueberry fillings in my cake archive. They are all similar.
Rm
Hello! Can i use frozen sweet cherries?
Sabine
Yes, it's possible to use frozen cherries. The directions are the same. Cook the cherries until they are fully thawed.
Anita
Hi there! Did you fresh tart cherries or a sweeter bing cherry for filling?
Sabine
Hi Anita, I used sweet cherries for the recipe. You can use tart cherries as well if preferred. In this case, increase the sugar by about 1/4 cup or to your taste.
Amanda
STOP! That is WAY too beautiful, Sabine. Oh my goodness. You knew just what I needed to see today. With all of the chaos going on, this finally brought a smile to my face. If I can nominate you more than once, I will. BTW: here is the note Saveur received from me: "Sabine, exceptionally creative designer of AlsoTheCrumbsPlease.com, is from Austria and it is not just her food--her photography can literally bring tears to my eyes because it is a true masterpiece. She will be moving to San Francisco soon and she has so much to offer this world. It is people like her that represent the true meaning of how the internet should be: sharing knowledge and wisdom to brighten someone else's day--that person could be half way around the world, but it brings a smile nonetheless. Thanks, Sabine, for the smiles and sweetness that I need more than ever."
Sabine
Amanda, you are the best and cutest! I can't thank you enough for your support. This means so much to me and your lovely comments always make me smile. I hope you are fine soon! When I'm in the US, we have to meet one day <3 Thank you, thank you, thank you! xo