Cherry Almond Cake is the most tender almond cake bursting with plump fresh cherries and hints of almond, vanilla, and lemon. The crumb is absolutely perfect in each bite! Try this recipe with other stone fruits, such as peaches, apricots, or plums.
This is one of my favorite cakes of all time! Fresh cherries and almond flavor are made for each other! My grocery store every July is over run with all kinds of fresh cherries from Bing to Rainier. I can’t help but pick up a bag of them every time I’m shopping.
Every year I’m searching my cookbooks and the internet for inspiration. In the past with this cake recipe, I’ve always made it with plums and I noticed that I had written a note to myself, “Would be delicious with fresh cherries too!” I’m so glad that I listened to my past self and tried it! The results were amazing!!! The plump cherries and the almond-vanilla flavor is the best! The cake is tender and moist with the perfect crumb. The almond flour added with the cake flour gives it a wonderful texture that you would expect from an almond cake. Give it try! You’ll love this Cherry Almond Cake!
INGREDIENTS TO MAKE CHERRY ALMOND CAKE
- Fresh sweet cherries, pitted, divided
- Unsalted butter, room temperature
- Sugar
- Large eggs, room temperature
- Lemon, zested and ½ of juice
- Pure vanilla extract
- Pure almond extract
- Cake flour
- Almond flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
HOW TO MAKE CAKE FLOUR SUBSTITUTE
Cake flour is a low protein flour that is very finely milled from a soft winter wheat. It is finer, softer, and lighter than all-purpose flour. Because of the lower protein content, cake flour will produce less gluten making cakes lighter. If you don’t have cake flour on hand, you can make it by combining all-purpose flour and cornstarch.
1 cup cake flour= 1 cup all-purpose flour, take out 2 Tbsp of flour, and add 2 Tbsp cornstarch. Sift the flour and cornstarch five times together to incorporate and lighten the flour.
HOW TO MAKE CHERRY ALMOND CAKE
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Spray a 8-inch round baking cake pan or springform pan with baking spray or grease with butter and line with parchment paper.
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or with a handheld mixer and large bowl), cream together the butter and sugar for 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- While the butter and sugar is creaming, in a separate medium-size bowl, whisk together the cake flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- Add the eggs one at a time to the creamed butter-sugar, mixing well after each addition.
- Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, pure vanilla extract, and pure almond extract; mix until combined.
- Add in the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
- Remove the bowl from the stand mixer.Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the quartered cherries into the batter.
- Scrape the batter into the cake pan and evenly smooth the top.
- Arrange the halved cherries on top, facing cut side up or down.
- Sprinkle with 1 Tablespoon sugar (optional).
- Bake the cake for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, and the top is golden.
- Remove the cake from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing the cake from the pan.
- Serve with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Grease and line with parchment paper 
Quarter cut pitted cherries 
Scrape batter with a rubber spatula 
Gently fold in cut cherries 
Scrape batter into cake pan and smooth top 
Cut 10 cherries in half to place on top of cake 
Arrange halved cherries on top of unbaked cake 
Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp sugar 
Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes before removing from cake pan
OTHER DELICIOUS CAKE RECIPES TO TRY:
- Banana Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Blueberry Lemon Breakfast Cake
- Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes
- Hershey’s Chocolate Cake
Cherry Almond Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh sweet cherries, pitted, cut into fourths lengthwise, leaving 10 cherries cut in half for the top
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup sugar plus 1 Tbsp to sprinkle on top
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 lemon, zested and ½ of juice
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ tsp pure almond extract
- 1 cup cake flour
- ¼ cup almond flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 8-inch round baking cake pan or springform pan with baking spray or grease with butter and line with parchment paper.
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or with a handheld mixer and large bowl), cream together the butter and sugar for 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula. While the butter and sugar is creaming, in a separate medium-size bowl, whisk together the cake flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- Add the eggs one at a time to the creamed butter-sugar, mixing well after each addition. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, pure vanilla extract, and pure almond extract; mix until combined. Add in the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
- Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the quartered cherries into the batter. Scrape the batter into the cake pan and evenly smooth the top. Arrange the halved cherries on top, facing cut side up or down. Sprinkle with 1 Tablespoon sugar (optional).
- Bake the cake for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, and the top is golden. Remove the cake from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing the cake from the pan. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Notes
- TO STORE: Refrigerate in an air tight container for up to 4 days.
- TO FREEZE: Wrap in plastic wrap, then place in a large freezer Ziploc bag or a freezer Tupperware for up to 3 months.
- USE OTHER FRUIT: This cake batter is delicious with any stone fruit such as peaches, plums, apricot, or nectarines.
