Newfoundland Cherry Cake

Newfoundland Cherry Cake. A big local favourite especially during the Holidays. The secret in this recipe is undiluted evaporated milk for added richness.

Newfoundland Cherry Cake

Back to Christmas baking with a perennial favourite, Newfoundland Cherry Cake .

Another very popular treat at this time of the year is the “Cherry Cake”. A moist, dense pound cake with glacé cherries and flavoured with almond extract, this treat is a universal Christmas favourite in almost every Newfoundland household I know.

Red Glacé Cherries for Newfoundland Cherry Cake. Well rinsed & dried maraschino cherries can also be used. 

I can’t tell you how many different recipes I’ve tried over the years for Newfoundland Cherry Cake. Recipes that use cake flour, recipes that use regular flour, recipes that use thick cream, recipes that use whipping cream, recipes that use whole milk, all butter recipes, recipes that combine shortening and butter.

Newfoundland Cherry Cake can also be made in a bundt pan.

I’ve tried them all and still keep coming back to this standard recipe that I’ve made for decades. It’s hard to imagine a Christmas in our home without it.

Ready for the oven

Fresh from the oven,

This is also a popular gift item from our household. There is a list of standard recipients among friends and family who depend upon their annual fix.

A Christmas favourite.

UPDATE.

One of our biggest dessert cake hits of the year was taking this recipe and adapting it to use fresh cherries. We made it several times during the summer and our family & friends just loved it. Find that Cherry Cake Recipe here.

Cherry Cake using fresh cherries!

Updated December 2020.

If you like this recipe, be sure to check out our entire collection of Favourite Newfoundland Christmas Cakes here.

A Christmas favourite.

Newfoundland Cherry Cake is a must to have on hand in the freezer or for Holiday gift giving.

If you like this cake you will probably also recognize our very popular recipe for Apricot Raisin Cake. And for even more Newfoundland favourite Christmas Cake recipes click here.

It’s easy to keep up with the latest home style cooking & baking ideas from Rock Recipes. Be sure to follow Rock Recipes Facebook Page and follow us on Instagram. 

Plus you’ll see daily recipe suggestions from decadent desserts to quick delicious weekday meals too. 

You can also sign up for our FREE newsletter to know immediately when we add new recipes. You’ll also get weekly suggestions for great family friendly  meals and desserts too!

Rock Recipes a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Our product recommendations are almost exclusively for those we currently use or have used in the past.

Originally posted on December 3, 2007.

Continue to Content

Yield: 32 Servings (1 large cake or 2 smaller 9x5 inch loaves)

Newfoundland Style Cherry Cake – a traditional Christmas favorite

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Newfoundland Cherry Cake is a big local favourite especially during the Holidays. The secret in this recipe is undiluted evaporated milk for added richness.

Print

Ingredients

• 1 pound chopped glace cherries (About 2 1/2 cups) + 1/4 cup flour
• 1 ½ cups butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp almond extract
• 3 cups flour
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 cup lukewarm, undiluted evaporated milk

Instructions

1. Rinse the cherries in a colander to remove any syrup that they may have been stored in. Pat them day between layers of paper towels.This step helps prevent the cherries sinking into the batter as well. Depending on their size, cut them into halves or quarters and set aside for later. They will get tossed in 1/4 cup of flour later but not until just before they are folded into the batter.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar well.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition until light and fluffy.
4. Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts.
5. Sift together the 3 cups of flour and baking powder.
6. Fold dry ingredients into the creamed mixture alternately with the lukewarm milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. As a general rule, I add the dry ingredients in 3 portions and the milk in 2 portions.
7. Fold in the chopped glace cherries that have been tossed at the last minute in the 1/4 cup flour.
8. Bake in greased and floured spring form pan, tube pan or two 9x5 inch loaf pans, lined with parchment paper. ( If you like, you can make this recipe in 3 disposable 8x4 inch pans by adjusting the ingredient amounts. See NOTES section below for the correct ingredients amounts, which are about 1/3 more than the standard recipe amounts.)
9. Bake at 325 degrees F for 45 minutes - 1 hour depending upon the size of your cake pan/s. (Bake at 325 degrees F for 45 minutes - 1 hour depending upon the size of your pan.
10. Baking times vary greatly on this recipe so rely on the toothpick test to ensure that it is properly baked. When a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, its done. Be careful not to go past this stage or the cake will be dry.
11. Let the cake cool in the pan/s for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

To make three, 8x4 inch loaf cakes, use the ingredient amounts below. ( I buy disposable aluminum loaf pans at the dollar store, supermarket, or Walmart for this and use them several times before recycling them.)

21 ounce chopped glace cherries (about 3 1/2 cups) + 1/3 cup flour
2 cups butter
2 2/3 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 tsp almond extract
4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/3 cups lukewarm, undiluted evaporated milk

Recommended Products

Rock Recipes a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Our product recommendations are almost exclusively for those we currently use or have used in the past.

• 
  Wilton Fluted Tube Bundt Pan
• 
  KitchenAid Professional 6 Quart Bowl Lift Stand Mixer with Food Grinder Attachment, Empire Red
• 
  Rock Recipes: The Best Food From My Newfoundland Kitchen

Nutrition Information

Yield

32

Serving Size

32 Servings (1 large cake or 2 smaller 8x4 inch loaves)
Amount Per Serving Calories 199Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 43mgSodium 107mgCarbohydrates 25gFiber 1gSugar 15gProtein 3g

The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.

Did you like this recipe?

Do you love our "Real food recipes for real people'? Share the recipe on Facebook to let your friends know about us. They'll thank you for it.