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cherry cake cut into squares on a marble board

Cherry Cake with Buttermilk Powdered Sugar Glaze

Last weekend’s Fourth of July family barbecue at my brother’s barn (yes, we had an awesome picnic in the barn out of the RAIN) was the perfect time to share this scrumptious Cherry Cake with Buttermilk Powdered Sugar Glaze with my family.

You might think having a picnic in a barn is a little strange, but it was a perfect setting for our rainy day. The horses were banned from the stable for a few hours while a long row of tables were set up in the barn’s breezeway to hold the bounty of food.

My brother smoked ribs and pork shoulder that was so good I think he’s about ready for one of those BBQ competitions! Anyway, my cherry cake was a bit hit and was perfect for sharing with a crowd.

a bowl of cherries

Ingredients

  • Fresh Bing cherries — the darker the cherries, the sweeter
  • Unsalted butter — at room temperature
  • Sugar
  • Eggs — at room temperature
  • Lemon juice, fresh — to subtly brighten up the flavors
  • Almond or vanilla extract — either will work, but if you have almond extract on hand I recommend using that
  • All-purpose flour, plus baking powder and salt — whisked together
  • Milk — whole or 2 percent
  • Powdered or confectioner’s sugar — for the glaze
  • Buttermilk — also for the glaze, buttermilk makes it very creamy

Instructions

  1. When making cakes, always start with room temperature ingredients.
  2. Cream the softened butter until fluffy.
  3. Gradually add the sugar, then the eggs one at a time, blending well and scraping down the sides.
  4. Stir in fresh lemon juice and almond extract and continue blending until the mixture is pale yellow.
  5. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a separate bowl.
  6. Alternate adding the flour and milk to the batter. Pour the batter into a prepared cake pan.
  7. Toss cherries with flour and sugar — this will keep them from sinking to the bottom of the cake — and sprinkle them evenly on top of the batter.
  8. Bake in a 325-degree oven for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour before glazing.
  9. To make the glaze, whisk together powdered sugar and buttermilk until smooth.
cherry cake cut into squares on a marble board

To make this recipe, you may need…

If you make any recipe using fresh cherries, you need a cherry pitter. I have this cherry pitter by OXO and love how easy it is to use, clean, and store.

Fresh summer cherries are the best for making delicious desserts! Here are a few I think you may enjoy:

a piece of cherry cake on a white plate

Baking tip

Line the bottom and sides of your cake pan with aluminum foil, allowing 2 to 3 inches of foil to extend over sides. Butter the foil and sprinkle with a little flour.

After baking and glazing the cake, you can easily lift it from the pan using the foil. Place the cake on a board and cut into squares to serve.

Buttermilk Glazed Cherry Cake | Life, Love, and Good Food

Cherry Cake with Buttermilk Powdered Sugar Glaze

Cherry Cake with Buttermilk Powdered Sugar Glaze – fresh cherries and a sweet glaze make this cake suitable to serve as dessert or as a brunch coffee cake.
3.67 from 3 votes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course Cakes
Cuisine American
Servings 20 servings
Calories 125 kcal

Ingredients
  

Cake

  • 1 cup butter softened
  • 2 cups sugar plus 1 teaspoon ,divided
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons, divided
  • 1 cup milk
  • 3 cups fresh cherries pitted and halved

Glaze

  • ½ cup powdered sugar plus 2 tablespoons
  • 3 tablespoons buttermilk

Instructions
 

Cake

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease (with butter) and flour a 9×13 inch cake pan.
  • Add softened butter to bowl of stand mixer and beat on medium until fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups sugar, and beat until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
  • Add lemon juice and almond or vanilla extract and blend well. Increase speed to medium-high, and beat for 1-2 minutes or until pale yellow.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together baking powder, salt, and 3-1/2 cups flour. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture to batter alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan.
  • Toss cherries with remaining 2 tablespoons flour and 1 teaspoon sugar. Sprinkle evenly on top of batter.
  • Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until set and browned on top. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour before glazing.

Glaze

  • Whisk together powdered sugar and buttermilk until smooth. Drizzle over cake and let stand until glaze sets (about 5 minutes). Cut into squares.

Notes

Southern Living, July 2015
Tip: Line bottom and sides of 9×13-inch pan with aluminum foil, allowing 2 to 3 inches of foil to extend over sides. Butter foil and sprinkle with flour. Pour batter into ban and bake. After glazing, lift cake from pan with foil and cut into squares.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 125kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 2gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 63mgSodium: 200mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4g

Life Love and Good Food does not claim to be a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information shared on this site is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.

Keyword buttermilk, cake, cherry, cherry desserts, powdered sugar glaze
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was.

One Comment

  1. 5 stars
    This is a very good recipe. I have made it with fresh cherries and it was a big hit. I made it the other day with fresh peaches and that was also a big hit! I’m sure it could be made with any fresh fruit and people would love it!! This recipe is a definite keeper! Thanks so much!

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