Cherries for Cake

While cherries are often known for staying closer to the pie and syrup side of baking, using cherries for cake is a great way to turn a favorite fruit into a delightful dessert.

While there’s no “wrong” decision when it comes to which variety to use, the best cherries for cake are probably the sweeter ones (Morello, Bing, or Rainier).

For reference, Morello tends to be the most popular choice when it comes to cherry pie filling. However, you’ll find plenty of Maraschino cherry cake recipes online (Maraschino cherries are created from the sweet and sour Queen Anne’s cherries).

If you choose to go with a more tart or sour cherry variation, you’ll need to add more sugar to your recipe to counteract that extra tang.

While you can’t go wrong with something like a Black Forest cake, if you’re looking for something that’s a little less labor -intensive, a “layered” cake is a great way to go while still incorporating cherries.

Layered Cherry Cake

1. In this case, make your regular yellow or vanilla cake and split the batter into two circular pans (anything from 7 to 9 inches should work well).
2. Bake according to the box instructions. In the meantime, you can use the set aside cherries for cake layering.
3. Place two cups of pitted cherries, half a cup of granulated sugar, one-and-a-half tablespoons of cornstarch, one tablespoon of lemon juice, and a quarter cup of water into a saucepan and bring to a boil at medium heat.
4. Break the cherries apart with a spoon as they soften (after about five minutes) or you can blend the mixture a bit before returning it to the saucepan.
5. Let it cook for another eight minutes, during which time the mixture should reduce. Set it aside.
6. Cut each of the circular cakes in half horizontally and layer with your cherry sauce. Voila! Serve with ice cream for an extra-special treat.