This rustic-looking Cherry cake has an incredibly light and airy texture – much like an angel food cake- with cherry jewels inside. It simply lets the plump stone-fruits shine, and is the perfect ending to a summer dinner.
Originating from the Alsace Region of France, I like to think of this light Cherry Cake from the Vosges Montains as the summer (and lighter!) version of the famous Black Forest Cake. And it makes sense, when you know that the uplifts of The Vosges Montains – stretching along the German border – face the uplifts of the mythical Black Forest – located on the German side.
Along with other delicious stone fruits, such as damsons and mirabelle plums, cherries are specifically Alsace-based crops and all hold pride of place in the region’s gastronomic heritage. In jams, baked goods or canned, cherries account for a significant part of the activity in the sector. And let’s not forget to mention the production of Kirsch, the traditional liquor made from fermented cherries with their stones.
Traditionally made with the local sour Morello cherries, you can make this recipe with any cherry variety of your choosing. Pick your cherries plump, soft and as dark as possible.
Pre-cooking the cherries in a small sauce pan makes them render their juices, so they don’t render it later in the cake batter. Adding the cherry juice to the cake batter really gives a subtle, sweet note to the cake.
Note: My husband is not a fan of cherries and simply does not care for Cherry clafoutis and such. But he actually loved this cake! So, for people who are not fans of the flan-like consistency of the clafoutis, I say this cake is a winner!
I hope you enjoy this Cherry Cake from The Vosges Mountains as much I do, Bon appétit!
10 comments
Hi! Your cake looks so lovely. Do you think I could do this with cherries I have frozen? I bought a huge box from a local farm earlier this summer and pitted and froze two gallon size bags. I’m hoping I can make this cake with some of them. Thank you!
Hi Christina! To be honest, I have never tried making this cake with frozen cherries, but (and I hate to be negative here!) I wouldn’t recommend it. Even if you thaw and drain the cherries thoroughly, they would likely remain too wet. And because this cake has very light and airy texture (like an angel-food cake), I fear the cake would become mushy. You can easily swap cherries with other stone-fruits though (plums, mirabelles, apricots, etc..)!
I can’t wait to make this cake. I am wondering why you listed 80 grams of butter and then only added 60 grams. Also, 2 tsp. baking powder listed, but only one used. Is this correct or is there some sort of error? Please let me know. Love your recipes.
Hi Carol, thank you for your comment! You are correct, only 1 tsp of baking powder is needed. I also use 60gr of butter in the recipe, and use the rest to grease the pan. I have added those notes to the recipe, thank you.
I was going to make your clafoutis recipe even though my husband, like yours, would probably not like the flan-like texture. Then I saw this cherry cake recipe, which I am sure he will like. What size round cake pan did you use – 8 or 9 inch? I’m not seeing it in the into or your instructions. Am I missing it?
Hello, Deb! Some of my much older recipes are going to be redone/rewritten once I find some time, with clearer instructions as part of it. A lot has changed in 5+ years!
But to answer your question, I used an 8″ pan for this cake. Happy baking!
Can jarred cherries be used? I have a jar of Morello cherries, but I think they may be too wet for this recipe.
I’ve unfortunately never used jarred cherries for this recipe, but fear you might be correct about the “wetness” you can try draining them over a sink in a strainer, and then again on paper towels for a while and it may work (hard to know how soaked the cherries may be)… But fresh would be the safest bet.
Love cherries a favorite fruit. Can I use a mix of sweet & tart cherries. I can find sweet but tart I haven’t seen. Can I use frozen instead Would I thaw then do the slow low cooking. What do I do with the thawed juices can they be put in the batter.
Hello, Cooki! Great question. Frozen fruit can be very tricky to use. Some aren’t “wet” and some just ooze their juices, turning a potentially delicious cake overly moist and discolored. If sweet cherries are all you can find, I think it’ll work just fine. Tart are ideal, but using frozen cherries will likely render the batter a pink color with a mushier texture.
Hope this helps! (That being said, if the frozen cherries aren’t “wet” you could dry them over a cloth/paper towel for an hour or so and try with them)