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Cherry chip cake from scratch brings back the classic pink cake flavor, but with real ingredients and a far better crumb. Maraschino cherry juice, sour cream, and finely chopped cherries give the layers a soft, tender texture, while bits of white chocolate melt into creamy pockets throughout.
Unlike boxed cherry chip cake mixes that rely on artificial flavor, this vintage cherry cake recipe gets its color and sweetness from actual cherries and their syrup. Finished with cherry buttercream, it feels like a vintage cherry cake, only softer, fluffier, and full of cherry flavor.
Here’s Why This Cherry Chip Cake Recipe Works
Cherry flavor in every layer: Maraschino cherry juice goes straight into the batter and the buttercream, so the cherry flavor actually shows up.
Reverse creaming method: Mixing butter into the flour first coats the flour with fat, which keeps the crumb soft and tight instead of airy and dry.
Real cherries, not just flavoring: Finely chopped maraschino cherries add bursts of sweetness and texture throughout the cake.
White chocolate bonus: Small pieces of white chocolate melt into the batter, creating creamy little pockets that balance the tart cherry flavor.
Ingredient Notes
Maraschino cherries: Use jarred maraschino cherries, not cherry pie filling. Drain them well and reserve the syrup from the jar for both the cake batter and buttercream.
Maraschino cherry juice (syrup): The syrup adds real cherry flavor and gives the cake its soft pink color. It also flavors the buttercream.
White chocolate: Chop the white chocolate very finely so it distributes evenly through the batter. Large chunks or whole chips tend to sink during baking.
Sour cream: Sour cream adds fat and acidity, which keeps the cake tender and prevents it from tasting overly sweet.
Almond extract: A small amount enhances the cherry flavor and gives the cake a subtle bakery-style aroma without overpowering the cherries.
Recipe Tips
Pat the cherries dry: Drain the maraschino cherries and blot them lightly with paper towels so they don’t create wet spots in the crumb.
Chop everything small: Finely chop both the cherries and the white chocolate so they stay suspended in the batter instead of sinking.
Measure cherries before chopping: Measure the whole cherries first, then chop them. This keeps the ratio correct.
Use room-temperature ingredients: Eggs and sour cream blend smoothly into the batter and help the cake rise evenly.
Don’t rush the 2-minute mix: That full mixing time builds structure and gives the cake its soft but sturdy crumb.
Your Questions, Answered
Yes. Pour the batter into a greased 9×13-inch pan and bake at 340°F for about 35–40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Yes, but go lightly. Cherry extract is very strong and can start tasting like cough syrup if you overdo it. If you want to boost the cherry flavor, add about ⅛ teaspoon along with the vanilla and almond extracts and taste the buttercream before adding more.
Cherries can sink if they’re too wet or too large. Chop them finely and blot them with paper towels before folding them into the batter.
Maraschino Cherry Cake
This maraschino cherry chip cake is a nostalgic recipe that tastes far better from scratch. Real maraschino cherries, tender vanilla-cherry layers, and fluffy cherry buttercream turn a classic pink cake into something rich, soft, and unmistakably cherry-forward.
Slice it up and you’ll get a buttery crumb, sweet cherry bits, and thick swirls of cherry buttercream in every bite.
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Cherry Chip Cake
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Ingredients
For the Cake
- ½ cup maraschino cherry juice, 120 grams
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil, 66 grams
- ¼ cup whole milk, room temperature, 57 grams
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 270 grams
- 1 ⅓ cups granulated sugar, 264 grams
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons butter, softened; 113 grams
- ¼ cup sour cream, 57 grams
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup Maraschino cherries, drained and finely chopped, 120 grams
- 4 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped, 113 grams
For the Buttercream
- 2 cups butter, softened (454 grams)
- 6 to 8 cups powdered sugar, 678 to 960 grams, sifted if lumpy
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 to 5 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice, plus more as needed
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 340°F. Line two 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper and spray with cake release spray.
- Combine the cherry juice, milk, oil, vanilla extract, and almond extract in a dish and set aside.
- Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large mixing bowl, then whisk it together until combined. Add the softened butter and beat on medium speed until the butter gets distributed into the flour and the mixture looks like damp sand.
- Give the cherry juice/oil/milk mixture a quick stir and pour ½ cup of it into the bowl, then add the sour cream. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. This step strengthens the cake’s structure without making it tough since the flour was coated in butterfat first.
- Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl. Start the mixer on medium-low speed and slowly drizzle in the rest of the juice/oil mixture.
- Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well in between each addition.
- Fold in the chopped cherries and chopped white chocolate.
- Divide the batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake for 33 to 38 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs clinging to the toothpick.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10–15 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool completely before frosting.
For the Cherry Buttercream
- Beat the softened butter on medium speed for 2–3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Scrape the bowl.
- Add 5 cups of powdered sugar and mix on low until mostly combined. Increase to medium and beat 1–2 minutes.
- Add the vanilla, almond extract, and 2 tablespoons cherry juice/syrup. Beat on medium until smooth. Scrape the bowl.
- Adjust the consistency: If the buttercream is too stiff, add additional cherry juice 1 teaspoon at a time, mixing well between additions. If it’s too soft, add powdered sugar ¼ to ½ cup at a time until it’s smooth and spreadable.
- Use the buttercream to fill between the cake layers, then frost the top and sides.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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