Sour Cherry Cake
Cherry season has finally hit us, and we’re loving this gluten free sour cherry cake. If you’re a fan of sweet, tart, and fruity, it’s a guaranteed win for you too!
Fruit has definitely been later this year than usual, but that’s okay – we’re loving it as it comes!
Admittedly, I did fill in some of the gaps with frozen fruit and buying rhubarb while we were visiting family up north (where it actually grows!) to make gluten free rhubarb crisp.
But even though they’re later, cherry season is just as good as it ever was! Last year we made a bunch of cherry cheesecake no-churn ice cream, which is so good with a little chocolate fudge swirl added to it. And my kids were huge fans of gluten free cherry crumble.
But we’re talking about sour cherry cake here.
It might surprise you to know that this is very close to my gluten free blueberry cobbler recipe. The main difference (besides using cherries) is that the fruit is more evenly distributed throughout the batter, and it’s less saucy.
My husband is my pickiest eater when it comes to gluten free desserts, and he really enjoyed this cake.
Using sour cherries adds so much flavor. As much as I love sweet black cherries for snacking, their mild flavor isn’t as well suited to baking. If you don’t have access to fresh sour cherries, don’t worry! Most grocery stores carry them in the frozen fruit section.
Sour Cherry Cake
This cake is super easy to make. We make it gluten-free, but that doesn’t mean you have to. It works just as well with all-purpose flour. Just be sure to skip the xanthan/guar gum.
- I usually use a blend of flours made from Judee’s gluten-free flours. I find their flours to be excellent quality, and they carry quinoa and teff flours, which I like. To be clear, I’m still a fan of inexpensive gluten free flour mixes, but since my husband doesn’t tolerate rice well, and we can afford it, I prefer to use mostly these types of flour.
- Whipped cream is the perfect topping for this dessert! It adds a bit of cool sweetness that really pops – especially when the cake is warm!
- Can you substitute other fruits? Sure! A lot of berries would work really well in this cake.
This is such an easy recipe.
First, gather your ingredients. Baking always goes so much more smoothly when you have your ingredients prepped and measured before you start mixing.
Next, put your butter in an 8×11 or 9×13 inch baking dish, and put it in your preheating oven to melt.
While the butter is melting, combine the rest of your batter ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
When your butter is melted, pull the baking dish out of the oven, and pour the cake batter on top. Next, sprinkle the cherries in, and put it in the oven to bake. Don’t worry, the cherries will sink and end up covered by the batter.
After about 35 minutes in the oven, pull your cake out, and serve warm or cold.
That’s it! Scroll down to see the recipe instructional video and the exact written recipe.
PrintSour Cherry Cake
Bright sour cherries pop in this delicious buttery cake! It’s so easy to make, and perfect served with a dollop of whipped cream.
- Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35-40 minutes
- Total Time: 50-60 minutes
- Yield: 12–18 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 3/4 cup flour (I use 1/3 cup each of quinoa, teff, and cornstarch + 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum)
- 1 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 1/2 cups cherries, pitted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º
- Place butter in a 9×13, or 8×11 baking dish, and put in oven while it preheats for the butter to melt
- While butter is melting, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt
- Add milk and vanilla, and stir until a smooth batter
- When butter has finished melting, remove from oven, and pour batter over butter
- Sprinkle cherries over batter
- Bake in center of oven for 35-40 minutes, until done through (a toothpick through the center should come out clean unless it hits a cherry)
- Remove from oven and let cool several minutes before serving
- Enjoy!
My kid will love this cake much. It’s absolutely my favourite.
If you are thinking that you won’t be able to make this dish, don’t worry even a clumsy like me can make this dish.
I’ll definitely read more of your posts
TOTAL GARBAGE!!!! I followed the recipe exactly. Preheated oven properly. Used 100% all purpose flour. I was immediately suspicious at the lack of egg. And SHOCKED at the obscene amount of sugar it called for! 1:1 ratio of flour to sugar? Seriously?
The wet:dry ratio was also way off, because the batter was overwhelmed by the milk. It was extremely runny. Not like “batter” at all. I decided to use a 9×13 dish, since a shallow cake is more likely to bake through. Baking for 40 minutes produced a golden crust, but the batter was like APPLESAUCE underneath! Returned it to the oven… After 60 min (total) bake time, the rapidly darkening crust forced me to pull it out, though the center STILL wasn’t set.
[Result] This thing that can hardly be called a “cake” had an oily, dark crust and gripped the side of the dish like rubber cement. My sharpest knife struggled to free the edges. Yet everything in the middle was a PUDDLE OF SLOP!
I tasted an edge piece…. My suspicions about the sugar were confirmed…. Diabetes on a spoon! MyGAWD it was disgusting. The sickening amount of sugar rendered it INEDIBLE.
Never was I so mistaken in trusting a recipe. JUST KEEP SCROLLING.
In my opinion, this is a piece full of useful information that demonstrates a high level of knowledge.
I am very enjoyed this blog. It’s an informative topic. It helps me very much to solve some problems.
Add milk and vanilla, and stir until a smooth batter
Yum, this sour cherry cake looks amazing! Thinking of trying it with a mix of berries next time. Thanks for the easy recipe, Elise
The combination of tart, juicy sour cherries with a soft, sweet cake base creates a delightful balance of flavors.
The combination of tart, juicy sour cherries with a soft, sweet cake base creates a delightful balance of flavors.
You sprinkled a bit of wisdom into my day, and now I feel equipped to tackle any challenge that comes my way
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The point about using sour cherries for their superior flavor in baking really resonates with me. I’ve often found that sweet cherries, while great for eating fresh, can get a bit lost in baked goods. I’m curious, Elise, how does the moisture content of sour cherries compare to sweet ones? I wonder if that’s part of why they distribute so well throughout the batter. My own baking experiences have taught me that a cake’s texture can really depend on that balance. This sour cherry cake sounds like a perfect way to capture that distinct tartness!
This looks absolutely delicious! I love that it’s gluten-free – my family has been trying to cut back on gluten and it’s always so nice to find a dessert that doesn’t feel like it’s “missing” anything. The tartness of sour cherries is exactly what I crave in the summer.
I’ve been waiting for cherry season to arrive here too, and they’re finally starting to show up at our local farms. I think I’m going to try this recipe this weekend – do you think it would work with sweet cherries too, or would I need to add extra lemon or something to get that same tangy flavor? I’ve got a bag of frozen cherries from last year that I’ve been saving for the right recipe, so I’m hoping I can use those!
Also loving that you mentioned the rhubarb crisp – I actually planted rhubarb in my garden last spring and it’s finally ready to harvest, so I’m excited to try that one too. It feels like everything is coming together at once this year!
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