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.
Originally posted on December 3, 2007.
2026 Note added to recipe regarding doubling the recipe and baking in disposable aluminum pans.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
If you like this recipe, be sure to check out our entire collection of Favourite Newfoundland Christmas Cakes here.
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.
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Newfoundland Style Cherry Cake – a traditional Christmas favorite
Newfoundland Cherry Cake is a big local favourite especially during the Holidays. The secret in this recipe is undiluted evaporated milk for added richness.
Ingredients
- 1 pound chopped glace cherries (About 2 ½ cups) + ¼ cup flour
- 1 ½ cups butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 cups flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup lukewarm, undiluted evaporated milk
Instructions
- 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 ¼ cup of flour later but not until just before they are folded into the batter.
- Cream together the butter and sugar well.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts.
- Sift together the 3 cups of flour and baking powder.
- 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.
- Fold in the chopped glace cherries that have been tossed at the last minute in the ¼ cup flour.
- 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 ⅓ more than the standard recipe amounts.)
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 five 8x4 inch loaf cakes, simple double the recipe above and use the same disposable loaf pans as mentioned below.
To make just 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 ½ cups) + ⅓ cup flour
2 cups butter
2 ⅔ cups sugar
4 eggs
2 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ½ teaspoon almond extract
4 cups flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 ⅓ cups lukewarm, undiluted evaporated milk
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Nutrition Information
Yield
32Serving 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.
hi,
I was wondering for this particular recipe if I could bake it into regular cake pans like a 12 inch round or 10 inch round?? would it still cook properly??
thank you
Yes I've done that several times when using this recipe for wedding cakes. This is a large recipe, enough for a 10 inch pan that is about 3 inches deep. Hope this helped, Barry.
Is this recipe anything like Auntie Crae's cherry cake? (I love it and would like to give it a whirl...)
CFA
With no disrespect to the now departed Auntie Crae, this one is better than the cherry cake once found there. Although good, I always found their's to be drier and less rich tasting than this recipe. This recipe has been used in our family for over thity years and I have never found a better one.
Our family recipe had a tin of fussell’s heavy cream in it. I’m eager to try yours as the cans of cream have gotten quite pricey. My mom and grandmother have always frozen theirs for several weeks and it gave the cake some added moisture. Do you freeze yours Barry or just serve it freshly baked?
If I make it in advance I freeze it.
This looks good! Wondering how many loaves it makes from the one recipe?
Using my large loaf pans I get two but if i use disposable aluminum pans then I get three loaves. I prefer them baked in the disposable aluminum pans to be honest; they tend to bake more evenly.
So pretty! I love the way the cherries look in this cake. Another must try recipe for me.
Hi there, I was wondering if I could use marachino cherries in this recipe instead of the glacceed ones. Thats what my mom always used when I was growning up in her cherry cake and so I guess its nostalgic, If so, how many would I use? Thanks
Absolutely.Maraschino cherries are fine, a couple of cups should do. Why not check out this great recipe too. Just omit the nuts if you want. http://www.rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2007/12/cherry-pecan-cake.html
If I use the disposable pans do I still line them with parchment paper
Probably not necessary.
Barry
I made this today and it was Delicious with a capital D.
I love how the recipe makes two loaves because even though this is for Christmas baking, I couldn't resist breaking into it.
I did modify it ever-so slightly, cause I was short on butter. I used 1 1/4 c of butter and 1/4 c of butter flavoured Crisco and it added a nice crispy edge to it. Had to watch it closely once it hit the 40 minute mark, to make sure it didn't burn.
Exactly what I was looking for to use up my Glace Cherries that I'd bought as a garnish for other cookies.
I know it's a Newfoundland recipe, but I remember these from my childhood in PEI.
Merry Christmas! And thanks for a new baking tradition!
what size loaf pan and how much do you put in each loaf pan??
Im going with the disposable pans too, no parchment? Anything in lieu of? Thanks!
I just made this and used Maraschino cherries - it turned out great. I am replacing my old recipe with this one!
FYI - there should also be a warning on this recipe to eat dinner before you bake this cake.