Cherries are here!
We are so excited to highlight our Dark Sweet Cherries in our Layered Fresh Cherry Cake recipe. Although these cherries are delicious to eat as is (and trust us – we do that plenty), they’re great for so much more. These cherries in particular are full of flavor. They’re incredibly sweet and juicy with just the right balance of acid to make one delicious fruit. You’ll frequently find us throwing these cherries into salads, smoothies, and, as we are in this recipe, even baked goods.
For most, cherries may not be a go-to for baking. We’re here to change that! They bake into almost every dessert where you’d typically use berries beautifully. Using fresh cherries is even better as they’ll be juicer than their frozen counterparts.
You might be thinking, “Isn’t it a bit of a pain to pit enough cherries for a dessert like this?” Good news: it’s much easier than you’d think! In fact, we’ve have three methods for pitting your cherries: using a paperclip, chopstick and bottle, or cherry pitter. Using one of these methods, you’ll have all of the cherries you need pitted in a jiffy.
The Dessert People Crave!
This layered cake is the perfect dessert for late spring and summer. It also makes a fabulous addition to a brunch spread! It keeps well which means you can make it ahead of time and travels easily. There’s little it can’t do.
The key to making this treat special is the layers. You’ll start by spreading a little batter in the bottom of a loaf pan, followed by a layer of halved fresh cherries tossed in jam and repeat, ending on a layer of batter. The layering makes for a beautiful presentation and ensures you get fresh cherries in every bite.
This recipe makes a delicious, dense loaf cake so make sure to cook in advance: 1 hour and 15 – 30 minutes, followed by 30 minutes of cooling time. This dessert is worth the wait: we promise. Speaking of planning ahead, good news: this loaf cake is still delicious when served the next day (even for a few days). Just keep wrapped tight in plastic wrap or a zipper top bag.
The Cherry On Top
The icing is optional, but I wouldn’t skip it if I were you. A little powdered sugar mixed with lemon juice adds a final dash of sweetness and the tart lemon really brings out the natural flavors of the cherries. We recommend drizzling the whole loaf with the icing and serving extra on the side for folks to add a little more to their slices.
Make sure to let us know how your layered cherry cake turns out in the comments or what other fun cake pans you like to bake it in!