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.
How did it turn out using fresh cherries 🍒
FANTASTIC!! The recipe is now posted with some photos here: Fresh Cherry Cake
Barry would it be a problem to use sour cream instead of condensed milk.
The recipe calls for evaporated milk, not condensed. I've never used sour cream in this particular recipe but I think it would work.
Question: is this meant to be a cold oven pound cake, or should the oven be preheated? Thanks.
Preheat.
What kind of icing would you use for this cake?
Vanilla buttercream is good.
I’m planning on trying your recipe but would like to substitute almond milk as I’m lactose intolerant and cannot use evaporated milk. Would you recommend reducing the almond flavouring as well?
I'd leave the flavouring as it is.
When I bake this cake, can I use a dark grey bundt pan or will the cake brown too much? If I do use this pan, should I reduce the temperature to 300 from 325 and start checking about 10 mins prior to the suggested baking time?
I don't mind a cake being brown if the inside is not overbaked. A dry cake is worse than a dark cake. I'd try it at 325 and see how it goes.
I would like to make this cake for gifts and was wondering how long to bake them in a mini loaf pan, and if the temperature would be the same. Thank you
I would like to make this cherry pound cake. What type of flour do I use, all purpose or cake and pastry flour.
I cannot find the info on the recipe or on the comment section
Great place Newfoundland hope to make a great cake.
thanks from Ontario.
Flour means all purpose flour in my recipes unless specified othewrwise.
Hi! I’m making this using a mini bunt pan, which makes 6. How long would I bake it for, and would I need to reduce/increase the recipe at all? Very much appreciated and love the recipe!
I have no idea of the size of these pans so it's pretty impossible to answer. Just check often and rely on the toothpick test.
Hello, Which flour do you use-cake or all purpose?
I made this cake with All Purpose Flour Cake turn out wonderful
I made this cake with All Purpose Flour Cake turn out wonderful
Hi Barry,
The cherries sunk - and I did toss them with the flour. Should I have kept tosssing until all the flour was adsorbed?
Or, should I have cut them smaller - I only halved them.
Cheers - Miles
Hi Barry, I'm making this cake for Christmas and would like to know if I can use margarine instead of butter. Thanks in advance.
Only butter is butter.
I made this today for a dinner 5 days from now, should I freeze it or just wrap it and leave out out?
I think I would freeze and thaw. That will extend the life of the cake if you anticipate leftovers.
You will NEVEER hear me approve of margarine over butter.