Cherry Chip Cake

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Vintage cherry chip cake made completely from scratch with maraschino cherries and cherry syrup. Soft vanilla-cherry layers are filled with chopped maraschino cherries and white chocolate, then finished with fluffy cherry buttercream for a tender pink cake with classic nostalgic flavor.

Prep Time25

Cook Time36

Total Time1 1

Course: Cake and Cupcakes, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cherry, cherry chip cake, layer cake

Servings: servings

Author: Dahn Boquist

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

Use the right cherries (and save the syrup): Use jarred maraschino cherries (not pie filling). Drain the cherries and save the syrup/juice from the jar for the cake and buttercream.

Pat the cherries dry. You still save the jar syrup for the recipe, but removing excess moisture from the chopped cherries keeps them from adding wet pockets in the crumb. The cherries will still be moist, they just shouldn’t be dripping wet.

Measure before chopping: Measure the cherries whole, then chop them very finely. You’ll end up with a bit less than 1 cup after chopping.

Chop the white chocolate small: Chop the white chocolate very finely. If using white chocolate chips, chop them too as whole chips tend to sink in the batter.

Use room-temp eggs and sour cream. Cold ingredients can make the batter look curdled and affect rise.

Don’t skip the 2-minute mix: After adding the sour cream and ½ cup of wet mixture, beat for a full 2 minutes. This step will build structure and an even crumb. It won’t make the cake tough because the flour is coated in butter first.

Storage: Store the frosted cherry chip cake covered at room temperature for up to 1 day or refrigerate for up to 4 days. For the best texture, let refrigerated slices sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving. Unfrosted cake layers can be wrapped tightly and frozen for up to 2 months.

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