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
Recommended Products
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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.
thank you for this site, my father and his family are from baybulls newfoundland, and my mother is fro nova scotia where i was born, this cherry cake will be a hit at my holiday table this year, thank you for bringing me home again:) even thou we are far apart now, this cake will make it feel like mt dad is right here with me
So nice to hear. Like so many Newfoundlanders, it just wouldn't be Christmas without Cherry Cake.
Hi I'm a Newfoundlander in where else but Fort McMurray, I plan on trying this recipe for my first ever cherry cake. I was thinking about sending a couple to my son in B.C. He usually gets his packages in 2 days, do you think mailing them is a good or bad idea?
Should be fine prs. Send them as soon as possible after baking and tell him to pop them in the freezer as soon as he gets them to keep for the Holidays. Merry Christmas.
Just an update as I'm getting ready to bake these again for Christmas, this will be my 6th year making your recipe and we all love it, my kids even ask for it throughout the year, Thank you for this and all your great recipes, I use so many of them and they are always delicious!!!
Thanks Barry, this is my son's favourite dessert of "all time" (he is 7). I will be making this for years to come. Love everything I've made from your site!
Awesome. So glad you enjoy the website.
I just put two of these cherry cakes in the oven and realized I hadn't added the extracts! Darn - I thought I had copied the recipe wrong, but when I checked it wasn't included in the instructions, not sure how they will turn out.
Oops, I was reformatting the recipe and omitted a line by mistake.
How do you store them once baked Wrapped in Saran Wrap, and frozen? I made 3 and they look wonderful. Can't wait to taste however am thinking aging a day or two is a good idea.
I am hoping to serve them as part of our Christmas Baking at Christmas parties.
Wes
That's exactly how I store them. Several layers of plastic is best I find.
This is my first time trying this recipe. It seems like 1 1/2 cups of butter is a lot. What do you think?
It is a realtively large recipe abd the amount of butter ensures that it keeps a moist and delicious texture. You risk a dry cake if you play with that amount.
Do you have recipe for icing for this Cherry Cake!
Was there a specific type of frosting that you were looking for?
My grandmother always made an almond butter icing! Was delicious! She didn’t put the almond extract in the cake batter, just the icing!
I am so glad this recipe made your top 25 - I had not yet discovered it on your site.
Just today, I was telling my mum I really miss my grandma's light fruitcake at this time of year (well, who am I kidding - I could eat it any time at all. She was so awesome, and so was her cake! Heh!).
This cherry cake sounds very, very close to my great-grandmother's -- so I will definitely be baking this soon!!
Thank you, Barry! 🙂
Hope you enjoy it!
I noticed the instructions say 325 but in the comments you mentioned 350. What's the best cooking temp for this cake?
I generally do it at 325, especially as a whole cake or in larger pans.
Hi Barry. I have fond memories of a very similar cake, which my great grandmother used to make. I am going to give your recipe a try, however I have one question:
In step 5, you have written: "I add the dry ingredients in e portions" What are the actual # of portions (where the 'e' reads)?
Thanks, and best,
Jennifer
It is supposed to be 3. Fixed now. Odd that nobody noticed that typo before,
Followed this Recipe, used the 3 foil pans and baked 1 hr 5 min at 325. Did the toothpick test. Bottom of cake was white. 1 hr Later I cut one open and it was half raw. Now putting the 3 back in oven crossing fingers I can salvage it. Next time I will bake in metal bread/loaf pan .
Sounds like your oven temperature is off to me. I don't understand how the middle was raw if it passed the toothpick test.
Going to try this recipe now! I will return to let you know how it turned out 🙂 Been looking forever for a cherry cake recipe that don't turn out dry! I have tried everything and they always seem dry to me. I hope this one works!
It's the best I've ever tried.
Ok..so I tried this recipe and it was THE BEST I HAVE EVER MADE! I have tried many recipes for cherry cake and they have all turned out dry. This one was moist and super delicious! As a matter of fact I am now making my 3rd one! Everyone loves it so much that I had to make more. I have passed the recipe onto my mother who has also been looking for a great recipe for cherry cake. Thank you so much for posting this! It will continue to be a family favorite here in my house for many years to come!
I first started baking your Cherry Cake in 2012, after finding the recipe on your site. I love Cherry Cake and I have made.. and tasted.. MANY! None can compare!
It is Deelicious! I have baked lots of them at Xmas, in fact I have 2 in the oven as I write this note. Thank You for such an excellent recipe..it is definitely a keeper!! Yummy....
That's a great review of this recipe. I'm like you, I've sampled many cherry cake recipes but this one is the best!