This homemade Cherry Chip Cake is soft, moist, and packed with sweet cherry flavor in every bite. Made with chopped cherries, cherry juice, and fluffy cherry frosting, this easy layer cake is perfect for birthdays, Valentine's Day, summer gatherings, or anytime you're craving a fun homemade dessert.
This cherry cake recipe has become one of my favorite ways to use cherries. The tender cake layers and creamy cherry frosting create the perfect combination of flavors, and the natural pink color makes it just as pretty as it is delicious.
Be sure to try these Chocolate Cherry Brownies and this Cherry Apple Crumble for two other super simple and delicious cherry desserts.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Loaded with cherry flavor
- Easy semi-homemade cake recipe
- Perfect for birthdays, holidays, and celebrations
- Soft, moist cake layers
- Beautiful pink frosting
- Great way to use fresh or canned cherries
- Delicious cherry dessert for summer cherry season
Before You Get Started
- Drain canned cherries well and reserve the juice.
- Finely chop the cherries so they distribute evenly throughout the cake.
- Allow the cake layers to cool completely before frosting.
- Line the cake pans with parchment paper for easy removal.
- Bring the butter to room temperature before making the frosting.
Ingredients
- White cake mix - Use your favorite brand. I like to use Betty Crocker, but it's totally up to you. It is faster to use a cake mix than make this from scratch, and I promise you won't be able to tell.
- Cherry juice - Reserve the juice from canned cherries or use bottled tart cherry juice. Maraschino cherry juice also works.
- Milk - To thin out the cake batter.
- Egg whites - A binding agent for the ingredients.
- Canola oil - Adds a bit of fat and helps keep the cake moist while baking.
- Cherries - These need to be finely chopped before using.
- Salted butter - You'll need two sticks to make the frosting.
- Powdered sugar - Adds sweetness and texture to the frosting.
- Cherry extract - Helps with the cherry flavoring.
- Maraschino cherries - You'll use these on top of the cake for decoration.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Cherry Chip Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Add parchment paper to two baking pans and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Step One: Add the first five cake batter ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Beat with a hand mixer until fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer.
Step Two: Fold in the chopped cherries. The batter will look pink.
Step Three: Divide the batter between the two pans. They will be about half full.
Step Four: Put the pans in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. They will be golden brown, and a toothpick should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Step Five: Cool the cake for 10 minutes in the pans.
Step Six: Run a knife around the edge to loosen. Invert the cakes onto a wire rack.
Step Seven: Beat the butter until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and cherry extract. Mix until smooth, then beat in the cherry juice.
Step Eight: Frost the layers of the cake and all around the outside of the cake. Add the remaining frosting to a piping bag. Pipe the remaining frosting onto the cake.
Step Nine: Decorate with additional cherries. You can place the cake in the fridge to set the buttercream or serve it immediately. Enjoy!
Top Tip
We used canned sour cherries in syrup for the cake and frosting, and then topped it with dye-free maraschino cherries. This combination gives a delicious cherry flavor without being overly sweet.
Substitutions
- Cherry juice - You can swap in bottled tart cherry juice to make this pink cake an even darker pink color.
- Vegetable oil - You can use this instead of canola oil.
- Unsalted butter - If you only have unsalted butter, you can use it for the frosting, but add an extra pinch of salt.
Variations
- Chocolate Cherry Cake – Frost with chocolate buttercream for a chocolate-covered cherry flavor.
- Frosting - While I love making my own homemade frosting, you don't have to. You can use store-bought to save time or change up the flavor. Adding chocolate frosting, vanilla buttercream, or coating the whole cake with tangy cream cheese frosting sounds pretty delicious, too.
- Extract - A hint of almond extract is a simple way to add a different flavor. You can also add vanilla extract for a cherry vanilla flavor.
- Maraschino cherry bits - You can also dice up some maraschino cherries and add them to the icing.
- Toppings - Be sure to use all the remaining frosting on top of the cake, but also try to add some white chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips for a fun look and taste.
Top with a scoop of Cherry Cordial Ice Cream for the ultimate cherry dessert.
Equipment
To make this homemade cake, you'll need two 9-inch cake pans, a hand mixer, wire cooling racks, and an offset spatula for frosting the cakes.
Storage
Store the cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Let it sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving for the best texture.
Common Questions
Absolutely. Just be sure that you clean them and dry them well before using. Also, remove any pits before adding to the batter or to the top of the cake. Fresh cherries during the summer months are so delicious and would be a great option to try.
The pink color comes from the cherry juice and chopped cherries mixed into the batter. The exact shade will vary depending on the type of cherries and juice you use. To make it a stronger pink color, you can add food coloring.
Yes. The cake layers can be baked a day ahead and stored tightly wrapped. Frost the cake before serving for the freshest appearance.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
- No Bake Passion Fruit Cheesecake
- My Grandma's Coffee Cake Recipe
- Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes Recipe
- Honey Cheesecake Recipe
📖 Recipe
Cherry Chip Cake
Ingredients
Cake Batter
- 1 white cake mix
- ½ cup cherry juice ***
- ½ cup milk
- 3 egg whites
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- ½ cup cherries finely chopped ***
Cherry Frosting
- 8 oz salted butter (2 sticks)
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon cherry extract or 5-6 drops of black cherry flavoring oil (such as Lor-Ann)
- 3-4 tablespoon cherry juice
Decoration
- 12 maraschino cherries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Line two 9-inch baking pans with parchment and spray with cooking spray.
- Combine first 5 cake batter ingredients in a large bowl.
- Beat with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes or until lightened and fluffy.
- Fold in chopped cherries.
- Divide the batter between prepared pans.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool completely.
Frosting
- Mix the butter with an electric mixer until fluffy.
- Slowly incorporate powdered sugar. Mix in extract.
- Add cherry juice to reach a pipeable consistency.
Notes
Nutrition
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