Julie Clark
Updated:
Cherry Snack Cake
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A cherry snack cake with canned cherries! Fluffy and tender vanilla cake topped with sweet cherries makes a from scratch dessert prepped in less than 10 minutes.
Fresh cherries are one of those fruits that you can’t find year-round in the supermarket. They are only available for about 4 months, usually from the end of April to early September. I’m always excited for the cherry season to start.
When it isn’t fresh cherry season, you can turned to canned cherries. Bread with maraschino cherries, pie with sour cherries, Jello with Bing cherries. And this Cherry snack cake with canned sweet cherries!
About this Cherry Snack Cake:
This easy cherry cake is a minimalistic cake – no fancy frosting, glaze or layers fancy Strawberry Cakes. Just a simple flavor vanilla cake topped with cherries. But sometimes the simplest things are the most delicious, just like our raspberry cream cheese dip.
- Texture: Soft and fluffy. Follow the instructions to cream the butter and sugar to make sure you get that fluffy texture.
- Method: Use a stand mixer or hand mixer to mix the cake batter and bake in an 8×8″ baking pan.
How to Make Cherry Snack Cake
To make this cherry cake, I recommend using a stand mixer. Creaming the butter and sugar together until the mixture is pale and fluffy takes a few minutes so I prefer letting my stand mixer do the work.
- Prepare. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8×8-inch baking dish with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the finished cake out. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream butter and sugar together at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the eggs and vanilla. Add one egg at a time and mix for 20 seconds after each addition. Add pure vanilla extract. Mix until combined.
- Mix the batter. In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer running at medium speed, alternately add flour mixture and milk in two portions. Mix until just combined. Don’t over mix.
- Add the cherries. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Top with drained cherries and spread evenly.
- Bake. Bake for about 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and the top is lightly golden brown. Let the cake rest for about 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack. The cherry snack cake is delicious served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Recipe Variations
- Use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour, but mix it very gently after you add the flour. Don’t over mix with all-purpose flour.
- Add almond extract instead of vanilla extract , then add sliced almonds to the top of the cake. Almond and cherry go so well together!
- Love lemon? Add lemon zest to the cherry snack cake, then top with a sweet lemon powdered sugar glaze icing.
Storage Instructions
- Room temperature: Store leftovers in an airtight container on the counter for up to 24 hours.
- Refrigerator: Store this cherry cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature before eating.
- Freezer: Freeze the cherry snack cake whole or sliced in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before eating.
Cherry Snack Cake
A cherry snack cake with canned cherries! Fluffy and tender vanilla cake topped with sweet cherries makes a from scratch dessert prepped in less than 10 minutes.
Servings 9
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature, 4 ounces
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar 100 grams
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 10 grams
- 1 1/2 cups cake flour 195 grams
- 2 teaspoons baking powder 10 grams
- 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 grams
- 2 tablespoons milk 30 grams
- 1 cup dark sweet or sour cherries (canned, drained well) 8 ounces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the finished cake out. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream butter and sugar together at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. ½ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup granulated sugar
- Add one egg at a time and mix for 20 seconds after each addition. Add vanilla extract. Mix until combined. 3 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. 1 ½ cups cake flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt
- With the mixer running at medium speed, alternately add flour mixture and milk in two portions. Mix until just combined. Don't overmix. 2 tablespoons milk
- Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Top with drained cherries and spread evenly. 1 cup dark sweet or sour cherries
- Bake for about 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake rest for about 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack.
Notes
- Check the canned cherries to make sure all stems and pits are removed.
- Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
Nutrition
Calories: 238kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 92mg | Potassium: 143mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 411IU | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 1mg
How do you keep the cherries from turning the cake black?
I don’t have cake flour. I only have plain flour – will this work as a substitute?
Thank you for this recipe
I made it today and it tastes amazing