Cherries are some of my favourite fruits! I love them fresh, but they are also great for making wonderful cakes and jams. And as the cherry season is upon us here in Europe, there is no better time to make my Mom’s Delicious Cherry cake. This mouthwatering sponge cake, enriched with juicy bits of sweet cherries, is a great dessert or a perfect sweet treat for your afternoon tea or coffee.

This recipe is very special for me because, as a child, I used to make it with my mom every spring with cherries from our garden. Sadly, my mom passed away last year, but I continue making the cake every spring. It became a tradition for me.

HISTORY OF THE CHERRY SPONGE CAKE.

Although the origins of this particular cake are unknown, I would like to share with you some interesting facts about the cherry tree and cakes in general. That may explain how similar cakes came to exist.

Where did the cherries originate?

The domestication of the cherry tree dates back before recorded history. The native habitat of the species is suspected to be western Asia, North Africa and the Balkans. In fact, the English word cherry is linked to the name of an ancient Greek region Kerasus, in the territory of nowadays Turkey, from which the first cherries are believed to have been exported to Europe. Even today, Turkey remains one of the biggest producers of cherries in the world.

HISTORY OF CAKES.

In ancient times, there was no difference between bread and cake. Archaeological evidence reveals that the ancient Egyptians were making sweet bread as early as 4000 years ago and it is believed that they were the first to use yeast in bread-making. Later on, the Romans developed a variety of recipes for sweet bread with yeast. These recipes used different grains, dried fruit, seeds and reduced red wine. These sweet breads were known as the first fruit cakes.

In the 16th century, the Italians invented another way of enlightening cakes without the use of yeast, by adding whipped eggs to the batter. And that is how the sponge cake was created.

Baking powder and bicarbonate of soda were introduced much later, in the 1800s.

HOW TO MAKE MY MOM’S CHERRY CAKE?

📋 INGREDIENTS IN MOM’S CHERRY CAKE

Cherries: The most important ingredient that will make your cake a cherry cake! In this recipe, I am using fresh sweet cherries, but sour cherries can also be used. However, you will need to add more sugar to the batter.

Flour: The texture of the cake will be lighter and more delicate if you use special cake flour, which has a lower protein content, but if that is not possible, use plain flour. Cake flour has 8-9% protein and plain flour has 10-13% protein content.

Eggs: Beaten eggs replace the rising agent in this recipe, giving this cake volume and a light and fluffy texture.

Sugar: Although the traditional recipe calls for white granulated sugar, caster sugar has more finely ground crystals and dissolves faster, so I recommend it in this recipe.

Butter: Use unsalted butter with this recipe. Butter improves the texture of the cake and makes the flavours richer.

Milk: The milk and the butter make the cake tender and lighter in texture.

Baking powder: It gives extra volume and rises to the cake.

Vanilla Flavouring: It adds to the flavour of the cake.

Corn flour or corn starch: Helps the cherries hold their shape when baked. It also prevents them from sliding to the bottom.

Decoration: Icing sugar and blanched almonds are used purely for decoration purposes.

📖 STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1: Preheat the oven

Preheat conventional ovens to 170°C/338°F. For a fan oven, reduce the temperature slightly. Generally, the temperature in fan ovens should be reduced by 20°C/50°F, but ovens do vary, so do check your manufacturer’s manual for specific instructions.

Step 2: Prepare your cake tin

Line a 30 cm non-stick springform cake tin with baking paper. Brush the baking paper with melted butter on the top and sprinkle a little bit of flour. That will prevent the cake from sticking to the paper and will preserve its shape. If you are using a silicon baking dish, you do not need to line it, just brush a little bit of oil on the bottom and the sides and sprinkle flour.

Step 3: Prepare the cherries for the cake

Wash the cherries well, then dry them with kitchen paper. Remove the pips from the cherries with a cherry pitter tool or with a knife. If you are using a knife, the easiest way to remove the pip is to first cut the cherry in half, then make a cut in the flesh of the cherry right above the pip, where the stem starts, and carve the pip out with the knife.

Cut the cherries in quarters, or use halved or whole, cherries if you want to taste the cherries more in the cake.

Place the cherries inside a medium-sized bowl and sprinkle cornflour (cornstarch) and mix to coat them lightly. Leave the bowl with the cherries on the side for later when you need them.

Step 4: Sieve the flour

Sieve the flour and the baking powder through a sifter into a bowl.

Step 5: Make the batter for the cherry cake

Leave the butter out of the fridge for at least one hour to allow enough time to get soft. Place the soft butter in a large mixing bowl. Add sugar and vanilla and whisk the mixture with a hand mixer until it turns into a soft cream.

Add the eggs, one by one. Whisk each egg into the mixture well with your hand mixer before adding the next egg. Continue whisking until you have a light and fluffy mixture.

Take a spatula. Add a small amount of the sieved flour and milk to the mixture. Start mixing the batter with the spatula scraping from the bottom of the bowl to the top to allow air inside the batter.

Make sure to use eggs and milk at room temperature to avoid the curdling of your batter.

Continue to add small quantities of flour and milk, while continuously stirring the batter in the same manner, until you have used all the flour and milk and all the ingredients are integrated. The batter must be quite thick, so the cherries do not sink to the bottom.

Add the cherries to the batter and stir with the spatula carefully to distribute the fruit pieces evenly into the batter. Be careful not to flatten the batter.

Step 9: Pour the batter into your cake tin

Transfer the batter to the baking tin, smooth it with your spatula and arrange whole cherries on top. Press the cherries lightly with the tip of your finger to make sure they are bedded into the batter.

Depending on the thickness of your batter, the cherries may still sink. If you want to make sure the cherries remain on top of your cake, you can add them halfway through baking. To do that, take the cake out of the oven and place the cherries on top of the cake quickly. Do not keep the cake out of the oven for too long because it may not rise properly.

Optionally, also halfway through the baking, you can sprinkle sliced blanched almonds on top of the cake. They will make your cake look even more attractive.

Step 10: Bake the cake

Bake the cake in the middle of the preheated oven for 50 minutes. Check if the cake is cooked with a wooden skewer and bake for a little longer if needed.

Remove the cake from the tin carefully. Place the hot cake on a cooling grid and leave it to cool down completely.

Sieve a little bit of glazing sugar on top and serve.

HOW TO MAKE CHERRY CUPCAKES WITH THIS RECIPE?

You can use the same recipe to make delightful mini cakes. Prepare the batter for the cake according to the recipe here. Get ready a muffin tray with paper muffin cups embedded in the nests of the tray. Pour the cherry batter and place a couple of cherries on the top of each mini cake. Bake in the middle of a preheated oven to 200°C/392°F for a conventional oven and bake for 20 minutes or until your cakes are done.

🍲 SERVE THIS DELICIOUS CHERRY CAKE

You can enjoy cherry cake either warm or cold.

Serve the cake topped up with vanilla ice cream or plain cream, drizzle with some rose petal syrup, or just have it dusted with some powdered sugar.

Either way, this cherry cake is delicious and will complement well a cup of tea or coffee.

Bon Appétit!👨‍🍳👨‍🍳👨‍🍳