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.
This was the most delicious cake ever. I made it exactly as per the recipe and would not change one thing.
Thanks for sharing and all who tried it also thank you. Happy New Year, Barry.
Would you describe this as a pound cake type of cherry cake or a lighter more "cakey" type of cake? I've seen lots of recipes for the heavier, pound cake style but not for the lighter cake.
Pound cake for sure.
HI Barry,
I:
+ drained the glace cherries
+ rinsed them
+ let them drain in colander
+ spread them on double layer of paper towel with another layer on top
+ left them for four hours, pressed the top layer of pater towel into them
+ halved them, and dumped them back on to the paper towel
Then just before baking dumped them into a bowl, tossed in the 1/4 c of flour and tossed and tossed and tossed until all of them were thoroughly coated with flour
Folded them into the batter.
The damned things still sunk towards the bottom, I'm not getting the lovely even distribution you get.
Note: I have these in small loaf pans ( 3 x 5 ) 4 per half-sheet pan, and convection bake at 275 F. , rotating at half time.
Any ideas?
It *is* a great cakes.
It occurred to me that I may be shoving the fruit towards the bottom - to ensure that batter is spread evenly in the pan I frequently hold a rubber spatula and move it up and down in the batter, with the goal of releasing any air and making certain there are no holes.
Today I didn't do that, just spooned the batter in and smoothed it off. Those cakes are cooling - I'll cut one tomorrow and find out.,
Finishing suggestions:
Next batch, which I'll be baking tomorrow, I'm going to preserve the syrup that drips off the cherries.
The I'll rinse the cherries in 2 cups of water and use that, along with the drainings to make a hot syrup and brush it on to the cakes. I'll add some sugar and maybe a bit of vanilla and almond extract.
(Alternate - brush with cherry brandy!)
Cheers - Miles
I saved this recipe on my Pinterest tea time board.
I'm going to make it tomorrow. It looks so delicious. I'm going to put it in my bundt pan. I hope it turns out okay.
Marelyn. I have mad early this cake, exactly as the recipe says, and it wonderful. I did bake it for a bit longer but all ovens are different.
Although it is the end of May, I just made the cherry cake recipe using glacé cherries. My second time making this recipe and it's the best! The only thing I tweaked was I used 1.5 cups of sugar instead of 2 and I used an extra tsp. of almond extract because I just love the flavor. Cherry cake isn't just for Christmas! This is a keeper recipe. Thank you!
Made these today but they didn’t rise. What could I have done wrong? B
Can I use less cherries
Sure
Great Cherry cake recipe, so delicious
Do you think I could use raisins and cherries to equal the amount of cherries called for?
Also would love to add nuts?
I love your site. Made the BEST PECAN PIE BARS yesterday. They were wonderful.
I have told everybody about your site.
Sure!
@Sandra, Update…….turned out terrific……I baked in 3 disposable pans. They did take a longer time to bake but that could be my oven.
how long do you bake in 9 x 5 pans
I would check it after 45 minutes using a tooth pick.
I have a question unrelated to your recipe. I have an old NL recipe that calls for. “1 tin of cream” Can you tell me what quantity that might be and if it’s evaporated can milk or actual cream? Thank you
That recipe would be referring to Fussels thick cream. It’s milk fat is 23%. It is sold in a 170 ml can. It’s delicious on fruit and is a staple in Newfoundland!
What is undiluted evaporated milk ? Canned evapor..or sweetened condensed milk ?
It’s canned evaporated milk-sometimes people add water . When you see undiluted in a recipe use it full strength and don’t add water.
I made this cake a few days ago and it is the best cherry cake I have ever tasted! I followed the recipe exactly as written. The only thing I did differently was bake it for 1 hour 10 mins. After the first 50 mins I checked it with a toothpick several times to ensure it didn’t over bake. The evaporated milk certainly is the “secret ingredient” here. I have had cherry cakes made with tinned cream, cream cheese and sour cream but they don’t come close to being as delicious as this one.
Mine are in the oven right now...I can hardly wait to try this 🙂