This Cherry Cake recipe has a dash of nostalgia among the ingredients. With fresh cherries, it looks and tastes a treat!
The recipe
This recipe was handwritten by Nana Ling at the start of Australia's cherry season back in 1942. I've included a copy of this original recipe below, but please keep scrolling for the tested and updated recipe below in the recipe card – along with a more detailed method and the addition of a of a pouring custard to accompany the cake.
Ingredient notes
Apart from the star ingredients – fresh cherries and blanched almonds – the other ingredients you'll need for the cake are:
- butter
- caster sugar
- eggs
- plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- baking powder
- milk
- sour cream.
With the leftover egg yolks from the cake recipe, I've created a "cheats" version of creme anglaise, a pouring custard, to go with the Cherry Cake.
To make the pouring custard, you'll also need these ingredients in addition to the leftover egg yolks:
- custard powder
- caster sugar
- vanilla extract
- milk
- thickened cream.
It is a little extra effort to make the pouring custard, but it elevates this cake to a whole new level. And you use up those egg yolks, in true Nana Ling style.
How to make Cherry Cake
The cake and accompanying custard and not too difficult to make. The full method is set out in the recipe card below.
I just wanted to add a note here about pitting your fresh cherries. You'll need one cup of pitted and halved cherries for this recipe. If you don't have a cherry pitter tool in your kitchen, you can easily pit the cherries using a piping tip. Just put it pointy side up on your kitchen bench or chopping board and push the cherry onto the tip until the seed emerges. Easy!
TIP: Just remember to check carefully when removing the seeds. You don't want to interrupt anyone's Cherry Cake experience with a tooth breaking experience.
Serving and storage
The cake straight from the oven looked wonderful, with the blanched almonds and gorgeous golden colour. But it's even more lovely if you add extra cherries for the top of the cake and dust with a little icing sugar.
Serve warm or cold, with custard.
Store cake in a cool, dry place for up to 3 days – though it's definitely best eaten within 24 hours. Wrap well and freeze for up to 3 months.
More classic cakes
You can never have enough cake in your life, so here are some more recipes to check out:
Made this recipe and love it? Please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. (And it really makes my day to hear how Nana Ling's recipes are being made, shared and loved all around the world! - Libby x)
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Cherry Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Cherry Cake
- 1 cup butter (250 grams)
- 1 ½ cups caster sugar (330 grams)
- 2 egg yolks
- 3 cups plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup cherries, pitted and halved
- ⅓ cup milk
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 4 egg whites
- ¼ cup blanched almonds (for decorating)
- extra cherries and icing sugar (for decorating)
Pouring custard
- 2 egg yolks (remaining from cake recipe)
- 300 mls thickened cream
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons caster sugar
- 1 tablespoon custard powder
Instructions
Cherry Cake
- Pre-heat oven to slow (150 degrees celsius, fan-forced).
- Grease and line a round cake tin (approx 9 ½ inches diameter).
- Beat butter, sugar and egg yolks on med-high in a stand mixer until mixture reaches a pale colour.
- Sift flour and baking powder together 3 times.
- Add the flour, milk and sour cream and the cherries, alternately to the butter/sugar/egg yolk mixture, stirring to combine.
- Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold into cake mixture.
- Pour mixture into prepared cake tin and decorate the top with blanched almonds. Cook in a slow oven for 50-60 minutes.
- Allow to cool.
- Dust with a little icing sugar and add a few extra cherries to the top of the cake before serving with pouring custard.
Pouring custard
- Whisk together egg yolks, sugar and custard powder in a large bowl.
- Combine milk, cream and vanilla extract in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
- Spoon some of the hot milk/cream mixture over the yolk/sugar/custard power mixture, whisking to combine. Slowly add all of the hot milk/cream mixture, whisking to combine.
- Pour all the mixture back into the sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for a couple of minutes or until mixture starts to thicken.
- Serve the cake with warm or cold pouring custard.
Deb
I am interested in this recipe but unsure if caster sugar is the same as granulated sugar. Or powdered sugar? And totally unsure of what is custard powder.
Any thoughts?
Libby Hakim
Hi Deb. Caster sugar is a fine granulated sugar but granulated sugar should work just fine in this recipe. Custard powder is widely available in Australia and the UK - it's a yellow coloured powder that you mix with milk to make custard and comes in a box. Available from supermarkets. I've just checked and it says it's available in the US (perhaps that's where you are from?) at Walmart and is called "Bird's Original Custard Powder". Good luck!