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    Home » British

    Cherry and Almond Cake

    By Robyn | Published: Sep 29, 2021 | Modified: Apr 13, 2022

    TO THE RECIPE
    pin for easy cherry and almond cake showing a slice of cake on a plate, fresh cherries dotted around the plate

    Made with ground almonds and fresh cherries, this light and moist cherry and almond cake is naturally gluten free. A soft almond sponge studded with cherries and topped with crunchy almonds makes this the perfect summer cake!

    Jump to:
    • Why we love this recipe
    • Ingredients notes
    • How to make this cherry and almond loaf
    • My tips for making the best almond and cherry cake:
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Serving Ideas
    • Storing the cake
    • More Summer baking recipes
    • Cherry And Almond Cake

    Carrying on my love of using ground almonds (also known as ‘almond meal’ or ‘almond flour’) in baking, from the almond slice which started it all, to this flourless chocolate cake, soft and chewy almond chocolate chip cookies, Italian almond biscuits and almond meringue; this light flourless cherry almond cake is an impressive – but very easy! – summer cake.

    I love fresh cherries in a cake, cherry almond blondies, or dessert. Juicy plump cherries add delicious bursts of sweet flavour amongst the orange-scented almond sponge making this recipe a wonderful way of enjoying this beautiful summer fruit. If you love baking with summer fruit too, then I encourage you to try this easy yogurt plum cake too!

    Why we love this recipe

    • It’s a beautiful summer cherry recipe to enjoy cherries during their short season.
    • A great recipe for using cherries that are slightly past their best.
    • Can be enjoyed for morning or afternoon tea, or as a dessert.

    Ingredients notes

    • Fresh cherries – I prefer making this cake with fresh cherries, but they can be expensive (and the season is short!) If using frozen cherries, don’t defrost completely. If using canned cherries, dry on a kitchen towel before adding to the cake mix.
    • Ground almonds – also called almond flour or almond meal. They make a soft and moist cake compared to regular wheat flour.
    • Butter – softened unsalted butter.
    • Sugar – caster sugar.
    • Slivered almonds – can also use flaked almonds, or roughly chopped blanched/ nibbed almonds.
    • Orange – orange is a delicious pairing to cherries, and adding orange zest adds a subtle flavour to the sponge. If you don’t have an orange you can leave it out. The cake will still taste great!
    white plate with a bowl of whole fresh cherries on it, some halved and pitted cherries on the plate, a knife to the left of the bowl

    How to make this cherry and almond loaf

    (These steps are a guide only, for detailed recipe please see the recipe card below.)

    1. Beat together the butter and sugar in a bowl until soft and fluffy.
    2. In another bowl mix the dry ingredients: the almond meal/ground almonds/almond flour, baking powder and orange zest.
    3. Mix the flour into the butter and sugar.
    4. Add the eggs and mix well before adding the fresh cherries.
    5. Spoon it into a prepared loaf tin, lined with baking paper.
    6. Sprinkle with flaked or slivered almonds.
    4 process images for making the bakewell cake: beating butter and sugar, dry ingredients, mixing the two together and then adding the fresh cherries
    2 images showing placing the cake batter in the tin

    My tips for making the best almond and cherry cake:

    • Prepare the cherries before you begin to make the cake. If you don’t have a cherry pitter then cut around the washed cherry with a paring knife and twist, pulling off the fruit from the stone (pit). You can leave the flesh of the cherries in halves, or cut into quarters. I like to have a mixture of both.
    • Preheat the oven and line your tin before you mix the cake batter. As soon as the baking powder comes into contact with the liquid from the eggs it will start to react. You want to capture this by placing it into the oven as soon as possible, to make a light and fluffy almond cake.
    • When adding the cherries to the cake batter, don’t stir too much or the colour can bleed into the cake and cause it to turn a funny brown-pinky colour.
    slice of bakewell cake with the finished cherry bakewell cake in the background, fresh cherries scattered around

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What do ground almonds do in a cake?

    Ground almonds add a delicious moist and crumbly texture to a cake. The oil in the nuts adds moisture to the cake, and also means that the cake doesn’t go dry the day after it is made.

    Is almond flour the same as ground almonds?

    Yes it is, you may also see it called almond meal (more common in Australia), ground almonds is the British term.

    Can you use flaked almonds instead of ground almonds?

    Almond meal/ground almonds is made from ground up almonds. If you don’t have any almond flour to hand, then you can use flaked or slivered almonds in a food processor and blend until fine. Don’t use whole almonds as they can break your processor!

    How to store cherry cake

    This cake keeps in an airtight container for 3-4 days. (If it is warm and humid I’d eat it within 2-3 days.)

    Serving Ideas

    Enjoy this gluten free cherry cake with a cup of coffee or tea as an afternoon treat, or serve it as a dessert. It’s delicious with a spoonful of Greek yogurt on the side (or a scoop of vanilla ice cream!). Serve it alongside egg sandwiches, cheese scones and bourbon biscuits for a simple English afternoon tea party.

    Storing the cake

    • Store – at room temperature for up to 3 days.
    • Freeze – you can freeze this cake (freeze before you dust it with icing sugar). Once completely cool, wrap well and freeze for up to 2 months.

    More Summer baking recipes

    • Lime Drizzle Cake
    • Lemon Biscuits
    • Eton Mess
    • Easy Banoffee Pie (Without Condensed Milk)
    two slices of cherry bakewell cake on plates to show the light texture and colourful cherries

    Cherry And Almond Cake

    Author: Robyn

    This delicious summer cake with a soft and moist almond sponge studded with fresh cherries is topped with crunchy almonds and makes a delicious teatime treat or dessert!
    5 from 8 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 45 mins
    Course cake, Dessert
    Cuisine British
    Servings 10 slices
    Calories 207 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 60 g caster sugar
    • 60 g butter softened
    • 180 g almond meal (ground almonds)
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ orange zested
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 teaspoon almond essence (almond extract)
    • 160 g fresh cherries
    • 2½ tablespoons slivered or flaked almonds
    • icing sugar to serve, optional

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat the oven to 180˚C/ 160˚C fan/ 356˚F/ 320˚F convection.
    • Line a 11cm x 21 cm / 4.3" x 8.3" loaf tin with baking paper.
    • Prepare the fresh cherries: cut around the cherry with a paring knife and twist, pulling off the fruit from the stone (pit).
    • Mix the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy.
    • In another bowl mix the almond meal with baking powder and orange zest, mix well.
    • Beat the eggs and add the almond essence.
    • Add the flour mixture to the sugar and butter and stir, then add the eggs and mix until well combined. It will seem very thick.
    • Gently stir in the cherries – try not to stir too much or the colour can bleed into the cake.
    • Spoon into the prepared tin and spread lightly with the back of the spoon to get an even top, then sprinkle over the almonds in an even layer.
    • Place into the oven (lower shelf*) and bake for 40-45 minutes.
    • Test to see if the cake is cooked after 40 minutes by sticking a skewer in the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean then the cake is done. If some batter sticks to it then place back into the oven for another 5-10 minutes.
    • Leave in the tin for 10 minutes before carefully removing it from the tin to a wire rack to cool completely.
    • To serve, dust with icing sugar, an optional step but does make the cake look pretty!

    Notes

    Gluten free cake: check your baking powder is gluten free.
    Fresh Cherries: 160g is the weight with the stones in the cherries, it is 140g without the stones.
    Almond meal: is also known and ground almonds and almond flour.
    Eggs: large eggs are used in this recipe.
    *Lower shelf of the oven: even on fan, my oven is quite a bit hotter on the top shelf so I place it on the lower shelf so that the top of the cake doesn’t burn before it’s cooked inside.
     

    Nutrition

    Calories: 207kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 6gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 46mgSodium: 98mgPotassium: 65mgFiber: 3gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 208IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 76mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword almond cake, almond sponge, cherry cake, gluten free cake

    HAVE YOU MADE THIS RECIPE?

    I’d love to see your creation!

    Tag me! #atmrsjoneskitchen
    Tag me! @atmrsjoneskitchen

    Or just leave a comment below!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Wendy says

      July 29, 2022 at 11:47 am

      Hi Im a newbie to the site
      Can I use canned cherries in this lovely sounding cake.

      Reply
      • Robyn says

        July 30, 2022 at 3:07 pm

        Hi, welcome 🙂 Yes you can use canned cherries in this cake, just be sure to drain them well and pat dry before adding to the cake batter. Robyn

        Reply
    2. Faye says

      January 20, 2021 at 3:51 pm

      5 stars
      We had some cherries that needed using, and came across your recipe! We followed the recipe exactly, except I baked in a ring tin as I couldn’t find a loaf tin (moving house… fun!)
      It is absolutely delicious. We have had a couple of slices already, and it certainly won’t last for long!!

      Reply
      • Robyn says

        January 20, 2021 at 4:17 pm

        Thats so great to hear Faye! x

        Reply

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    Robyn Jones, Recipe Developer & Food Photographer

    Robyn Jones

    Recipe Developer | Food Photographer | Writer

    Hi! I'm Robyn, a toddler mum with a passion for all things food! Having moved internationally 7 times in the past 12 years I have developed a love of making international recipes into family friendly ones you can make in your own home, with local ingredients; wherever you live!

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