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a slice of sour cherry cake on a plate with the rest of the cake on a stand behind it
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4.36 from 17 votes

Sour Cherry Cake

Sour cherry cake is a beautiful seasonal adaptation of my all-time favorite Norwegian Gold cake. The tart cherries really shine in this rich golden dessert perfumed with vanilla almond.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time55 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Cakes
Cuisine: American
Keyword: sour cherry cake
Servings: 10
Calories: 287kcal
Author: Carolyn Gratzer Cope

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 2 cups (300 grams) sour cherries
  • 1 ⅔ cups (190 grams) sifted all-purpose flour, divided
  • 1 cup 2 sticks (227 grams) unsalted butter
  • 5 large eggs
  • 1 ½ cups (300 grams) sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons (7 grams) baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon pure almond extract
  • Zest of 1 lemon

To finish

  • Powdered sugar optional

Instructions

For the cake

  • Have all ingredients at room temperature.
  • Preheat the oven to 325° F. with a rack in the center. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube or bundt pan.
  • Pit and stem the cherries and cut them into quarters. Dry as well as possible between layers of paper towels. Since they're fresh, they will definitely retain some moisture — but do your best.
  • Stir the quartered cherries together with two tablespoons of the flour.
  • In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat butter and remaining sifted flour together for five minutes on medium speed. 
  • Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition to incorporate.
  • Add sugar, baking powder, salt, and vanilla and almond extracts. Beat for two minutes more.
  • Fold lemon zest and cherries into batter.
  • Scoop batter into prepared pan.
  • Bake for about 55 minutes, until golden and beginning to pull away slightly from the sides of the pan.
  • Cool in pan for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a rack to cool completely before serving.

Before serving

  • If you like, dust with powdered sugar right before serving.

Notes

  1. Sour cherries, also called tart cherries, are delicate, thin-skinned, and bright red. As the name suggests, they're very sour, and they have a floral briskness that really shines when lightly sweetened. They come in several varieties, including Moreno and Montmorency (pictured). You can use them interchangeably.
  2. Don't be tempted to alter the unusual mixing method in this recipe. I've tried swapping the order and creaming the sugar and butter instead, just for research purposes, and it doesn't achieve the same special result.
  3. Baking in a bundt or tube pan allows the heat to circulate in the center of the cake. This cake has a gorgeous, brown crust and a tender center, and a bundt or tube pan really makes the most of that combination.
  4. Because the cherries are fresh, they will sink to the bottom of the batter (which becomes the top of the cake when inverted) even though you have quartered them, dried them, and tossed them with flour. This can cause a little bit of sticking when you turn out the cake, so be sure to grease and flour the pan well before adding the batter. If you're using a tube pan rather than a bundt, you can line the bottom with parchment to help the cake come out easily.
  5. You can make the cake up to 24 hours in advance. Dust with powdered sugar right before serving. Once completely cool, cover and keep at room temperature. Store leftovers the same way for up to three or four days.

Nutrition

Calories: 287kcal | Carbohydrates: 33.1g | Protein: 4.6g | Fat: 16.2g | Fiber: 1.3g