Fruit Salad
Ali Slagle
352 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
352
20 minutes
Cherry Almond Cake
Updated Oct. 11, 2023
- Total Time
- 1 hour 45 minutes
- Prep Time
- 1 hour, includes thawing
- Cook Time
- 60 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:8 servings
- 8ounces frozen cherries, thawed
- 2¼cups/252 grams almond flour
- 2teaspoons baking powder
- ½teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 8tablespoons/113 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾cup/150 grams granulated sugar, divided
- 1teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- ½teaspoon almond extract
- 4large eggs, separated
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
419 calories; 30 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 25 grams sugars; 11 grams protein; 246 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square cake pan and line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two opposite sides. Pour off any excess liquid from the cherries and quarter them.
- Step 2
In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, baking powder and salt. Using an electric mixer, in another medium bowl, beat butter and ½ cup of the granulated sugar until fluffy and well combined, about 3 minutes. Beat in the lemon zest and almond extract. Add egg yolks and beat to combine. Add almond flour mixture to butter mixture and beat to combine.
- Step 3
In a clean bowl, with clean beaters, beat the egg whites until foamy and lighter in color, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in the remaining ¼ cup of granulated sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, until stiff, shiny peaks appear, about 5 minutes.
- Step 4
Mix a scoop of the egg white mixture into the almond flour mixture to loosen it. Add the remaining egg whites to the almond flour mixture and fold them in by gently scooping up some batter from the bottom and folding it over the whites on the top. Rotate the bowl and repeat until just incorporated. (The batter is thick so this will take a bit of effort.) Transfer the batter to the baking pan and smooth the top. Top evenly with the cherries.
- Step 5
Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 50 to 55 minutes. Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then use the parchment to lift the cake out of the pan and onto a rack to cool completely. Dust with confectioners’ sugar to serve. Store leftovers in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Jane from Alameda
Could someone please explain why recipes like this one call for the pan to be "buttered" and then lined with parchment paper? The butter, which is somewhat expensive and kind of a pain to rub evenly in the pan, is not going to flavor the cake through the parchment. Why not use cooking spray, cheaper and much easier to apply? Or am I missing something?
Sandy
I don’t think you’re missing anything, @Jane from Alameda. It seems to me that the point of buttering the pan before lining it is so that the parchment (but not the cake) will cling to the pan. I think only a little smear of butter should accomplish this, but surely a little oil would do as well, if you wanted to save the butter for where its taste matters.
Jane E.
Just to avoid confusion, not trying to be snarky - truly. Clafoutis is a custard with lots of milk plus eggs and only a small amount of flour for volume -you don’t separate eggs to beat whites to peaks, etc. — Clafoutis is not a cake. This is a cake. I guess confusion could occur if you look at the picture, which looks a bit like a cherry clafoutis (which is what people often use for clafoutis), because you see the cherry dotting the cake but they are quite different — both great!!
MM
Made according to the instructions, with the following mods: 1 tsp almond extract (doubled from recipe) 1 Tbsp lemon zest Used fresh cherries, but didn’t have the full amount (only 4-5 oz) and dotted with ~ 5 Tbsp lemon curd Added slivered almonds around the outside Baked 50 mins in a 9” springform pan (bottom lined with parchment) Delicious. Five stars and will make again!
LS
The cake should be made in a shallower pan or the cherries should be tossed in something to keep them from sinking. It might also be nice to have some texture in the cake since everything is very soft. Maybe a mix of fresh/frozen cherries and dried cherries would be nice. This is also a super light cake, so it's definitely not the recipe to use if you're expecting something more substantial. It's pretty good, but I'd rather have a more traditional almond cake with more bite.
Laura from New Mexico
I loved this cake--and it was a big hit at a recent dinner party when some of the guests were celebrating Passover. I made it in an 8" springform pan, which worked out fine. I will definitely add this to my roster of flourless cakes for Passover (or gluten intolerant guests).
Jean McCafferty
I've recently found canned sour cherries. Could these be drained and substituted for the frozen cherries?
jessica
Made this with fresh sour cherries and it was wonderful. I expected the cherries to drop but they didnt. Next time I will pour half the batter in, then do a layer of cherries, and then more batter and more cherries.
Tiggy
I’d want to soak the cherries in kirsch or some such
Marie
This recipe is similar to clafoutis.
Joe
I picked up some fresh Michigan sweet cherries at the farmers market last weekend and decided to make this cake. It is delicious! I had some trouble folding in the eggs whites because the base of the batter was very stiff, but it eventually lighted up and the cake is amazing. I will definitely make this again for a get-together or holiday gathering.
Carol O
I made this for my gluten-free friend. I was skeptical of using the parchment (I sprayed the pan instead of buttering) but it worked perfectly. All my guests took seconds!
Lal B., New Orleans
Try 1/4 tsp pure cherry extract and 1/4 tsp almond extract. The cherry extract adds a fresh dimension.
Elianna
Have made this exactly to the recipe multiple times now. Always a hit! Great easy dessert that happens to be gluten free. Bravo! Excited to try with fresh cherries now that they’re in season!
Emily
Made this per instructions. I only have a stand mixer so I beat the eggs first and transferred them to a different bowl. This turned out well! Our book club read Tim Lake which prominently featured a cherry farm so this recipe was a perfect choice.
Jessie
Used 9 x 13 in pan which worked well--cut 20 squares Frozen cherries, thawed and halved bc they were pitted and falling apart Did one reviewer's "hack" in doing zest (orange bc I had them and not lemons) with sugar, then butter, then eggs slowly one at a time on high speed, add extracts, fold in flour etc. 1/2 tsp almond and vanilla extracts ea, 1/4 tsp lemon extract Cooked 350 degrees for 40 min, cut/ate the next day after keeping in the pan/in a bag Good reviews from guests! Citrus subtle
Tamar
Did you double the recipe, or just use a larger pan? I am wanting to make a larger size and trying to figure out the best approach
Olivia
Beautiful citrus scented batter. Dusted cherries lightly in flour, didn’t sink. Followed recipe exactly, definitely whip your egg whites first to save yourself a clean up job.
Elizabeth
Kind of a waste of ingredients and time, in my opinion. I am an experienced baker, but this “cake” is a pain. It browned very quickly to a dark brown on top and was quite jiggly in the middle after 50 minutes. I took it out to prevent it from burning completely. It split when I turned it over to take the parchment off to complete the cooling and it is kind of a custardy texture rather than a cake. A waste of expensive almond flour, time faffing with egg whites and 3 bowls for a mushy wet thing.
Clara
I’ve made this a couple of times now, original method & a hack. Can’t tell the difference. For the hack - use the whisk attachment of your stand mixer. Start with very soft butter & add all the sugar. Also the rind. Whisk until really pale & light, scraping as you go. Then add the eggs one at a time whisking well, then continue to whisk on high and the mixture becomes super aerated & fluffy. Fold in the flour etc & continue with the recipe. One bowl & less arm work… really lovely cake.
EZ
This cake is truly amazing. It was a riot at Thanksgiving! Like another reader suggested, I doubled the almond extract and it was just right. We didn’t have cherries at home so we skipped the cherry part and also baked it in a 9 inch cake pan for easier transportation. :)
Rose
Mine only took about 40 minutes to bake, and even at 40 minutes it’s more golden brown than the photo.
M.
Cherries ... sweet or sour?
meg b
used with sour cherries in my 8” cake pan. it was totally fine—the butter was nice and moist, but i’ll want to see how it holds up. great almond texture. would bloom lemon zest in the first portion of sugar. also add more lemon juice to the meringue. great sugar level. used only 6.5 oz cherries and it worked well for the pan i used. explore adding some alcohol to amp up the cherry flavor more
AAD
Delicious, moist cake! I used frozen cherries that I thawed and also squeezed out most of the juice. The cherries remained on the top. I also used 1 tsp almond extract (doubled from recipe). I baked it in a toaster oven for 50 minutes.
Katherine
Best. Cake. Ever. Made it two days in a row. If you use a stand mixer, save yourself some time and whip the egg whites first, then transfer them to another bowl while you use the stand mixer for the butter/sugar/yolks. It’s all downhill from there. Kick it up a notch by soaking the cherries in brandy while you separate the eggs and whip the egg whites. Add toasted slivered almonds on top if you like a little crunch (and augment the fresh cherries with dried cherries in the batter).
Marcus
This is great! I used fresh cherries and baked it in a glass brownie pan and it turned out perfectly! Add a splash of cream when serving to gild the lily!
Annette O
Will this work with tart pie cherries? Should I use more sugar?
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