Total Time: 55 minutes
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This Ridiculously Easy, one-bowl, no-mixerSweet Cherry Almond Cake has a tender, moist crumb, lots of sweet cherries and a crisp, candy-like almond glaze.
This cake... oh my! So many of you have loved our French Grandmother's Lemon Yogurt Cake (we do too!), I decided to come up with a summery rendition featuring those sweet, juicy, crimson cherries that are in their prime right now. I'm most happy to introduce you to this Ridiculously Easy Fresh Cherry Almond Cake. I think you too will say "oh my!" with the first taste!
Ridiculously Easy defined
The French Grandmother Cake recipe was posted back in 2015 before we began our Ridiculously Easy Series, but it definitely falls into that category. What is our Ridiculously Easy series? If you're a regular Café reader, feel free to skip to the next section as you're already very familiar with these beloved recipes. For those of you who are new to The Café, here's a quick explanation of howa recipe earns the prestigious label of “Ridiculously Easy":
- It has to be a recipe that takes minimal effort and minimal hands-on time to put together. (Resting, rising or chilling time is not taken into consideration.)
- It’s also one that produces fabulous, super delicious results, ie, results that “appear” to have taken lots of time, talent, prowess and/or hard work.
- Ridiculously Easy recipes have to work well on those busy days when time is short and expectations are high.
- And last, Ridiculously Easy recipes are perfect for entertaining, mostly because of the first two characteristics. They take the stress out of dinner parties and gatherings of families and/or friends and allow you more time to enjoy your guests. Bottom line? They are super simple, something anyone can do. (We’ll keep that part our secret, right?)
One-bowl, no-mixer
This Fresh Cherry Almond Cake checks all the boxes above! It will take you less than 10 minutes to stir together this cake as it all happens in one bowl, no mixer needed. How does it work? Simply whisk together Greek yogurt, sugar, eggs and a splash of both vanilla and almond extracts. Add all-purpose flour, a scoop of almond flour, baking powder and salt and whisk again. The last ingredient is oil, another good stir and you're done!
Pour the batter into a prepared pan, sprinkle pitted fresh cherries on the top and into the oven it goes. 35-40 minutes later a golden, deliciously fragrantFresh Cherry Almond Cake will be calling your name from the oven!
After the cake is cooled a bit and turned out of the pan, the crème de la crème isan easy, 3-ingredient sweet almond glaze that's gently patted onto the cake with a small brush. The glaze goes on wet, but as it dries it forms a crisp, shiny, candy-like crust that not only makes this cake look gorgeous but adds a sweet little crunch to each bite.
See what I mean? Easy! Ridiculously Easy!
Raise your hand if you like to pit cherries
You won't see me wildly waving my hand! Well, at least not until I got this wonderful, inexpensive cherry pitter a few years ago. 
I had, for the most part, avoided cherries except for eating big handfuls outdoors and seeing how far I could spit the seeds (I know, I know, not very ladylike). It was such a pain to pit them and I hated the way they stained my hands. Now I love buying cherries and using them in all kinds of recipes. In fact, it takes me less than 10 minutes to pit enough cherries to make a batch of this delicious Sweet Cherry Freezer Jam! YAY!
Don't let the cherry season pass!
Be sure to pick up some cherries next time you're at the market. Cherry season is sweet, but short.
They start being plentiful and affordable in mid to late June and stay that way for just a few weeks. You don't want to miss this Fresh Cherry Almond Cake. I think it will be one of those cakes you can't wait to make each year when cherry season arrives. I know it will definitely be on my list!
Café Tips for making this Ridiculously Easy Fresh Cherry Almond Cake
- I like to use a whisk to stir this cake together. A good whisk is an indispensable kitchen tool. You don't have to spend a lot of money on one of these little kitchen workhorses. I really like this one and this one. A nice whisk would make a great gift for someone who's just getting started in the kitchen.
- You will need an 8-inch round cake pan with sides that are at least 2 inches tall for this recipe. If your 8-inch cake pan is not 2 inches, use a 9-inch pan.
- Be sure to grease your pan generously for this Fresh Cherry Almond Cake. Both the almond flour and the cherries can make it difficult to remove from the pan if it's not greased well. I like to use baking spray to grease my pans. Baking spray is different than regular non-stick cooking spray. Baking spray has flour in addition to shortening which helps cakes to release easily. I like Baker's Joy, but there are other brands that also work well.
- I spray my pan with baking spray, then use a paper towel to make sure all the surfaces are coated with the spray. After using the paper towel I then spray the pan one more time again lightly.
- Using a round piece of parchment paper at the bottom of the pan ensures easy removal. You can purchase parchment paper in rolls or in circles that are already cut out to fit your pan. I love the pre-cut circles to make baking easy.
- No almond flour? Although almond flour adds incredible flavor (I say that it makes baked goods taste "fine"), you can make this cake without it. Just use 1½ cups of all-purpose flour and skip the almond flour. You can still call it an "almond cake" as it does have almond extract included in the cake and glaze ingredients.
- And speaking of almond extract, a little goes a far way and too much can be overpowering. It has a much stronger flavor than vanilla extract so you want to measure carefully.
- I’m a big fan of butter in cake recipes. This cake calls for oil (no butter) and I was a bit skeptical until I actually tasted the cake. Don’t be tempted to substitute butter as the oil keeps the cake light yet moist at the same time. And the flavor is wonderful!
- Any type of neutral-flavored oil works well in this recipe. Sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, canola oil and avocado oil will all work well.
- The best way to tell if a cake is done is with an instant thermometer. The amount of time that it takes for a cake to bake can be fickle, depending on your oven. A cake is done when it's between 205-210˚F. Instant thermometers can be used for so many things in the kitchen and aren't terribly expensive.
- The next best way to determine if a cake is done is the toothpick test. Insert a toothpick gently into the center of the cake. If the cake is done, it should come back out fairly clean or with just a few little crumbs. If it comes out with wet batter, the cake will need longer to bake.
- Because this cake contains fruit (which contains moisture), it's best enjoyed on the day that it's made. The crisp "candy" glaze will softened after a day. That being said, I have made it a day in advance, then warmed it, uncovered on a sheet pan in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 225˚F. The heat of the oven will dry the surface and restore that nice crisp outer coating.
Thought for the day:
For I am the Lord your God
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you. Isaiah 41:13
What we're listening to for inspiration:
If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It’s so helpful to other readers to hear other's results and ideas for variations.
Ridiculously Easy Sweet Cherry Almond Cake
Chris Scheuer
This Ridiculously Easy, one-bowl, no-mixerSweet Cherry Almond Cake has a tender, moist crumb, lots of sweet cherries and a crisp, candy-like almond glaze.
4.93 from 14 votes
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Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 40 minutes mins
Total Time 55 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
SERVINGS 12
CALORIES 252 kcal
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 16-20 sweet cherries, pitted and halved, or use 16-20 frozen cherries (16 if the cherries are large)
- ½ cup plain yogurt or Greek yogurt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup almond flour
- ½ cup mild-flavored oil, such as sunflower, grapeseed, avocado, canola, etc.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
For the glaze:
- ½ cup of powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
For the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350˚F (175˚C). Spray an 8-inch round cake pan with baking spray, rub inside surface of pan with a paper towel to cover evenly with the spray, then lightly spray again. Line bottom of the pan with parchment paper and spray parchment paper lightly. Set aside.
Pit the cherries and cut each one in half (or quarters if the cherries are very large). Place a length of doubled paper towels on a work surface. Spread out the cherries on the paper towels then tightly roll up the cherries and paper towels. Allow the cherries to sit rolled up until ready to use.
In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, and eggs and extracts until nice and smooth.
Sprinkle the baking powder and salt over the top and whisk to combine. Add the flours (all-purpose and almond) and whisk just until flour is incorporated.
Add the oil and whisk well. Don’t worry, at first it will seem to separate, but keep stirring until smooth.
Transfer the batter to the batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle the cherries over the top to within ½ inch of the sides of the pan.
Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the cake feels springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. You can also use an instant thermometer inserted into the center of the cake to test doneness. Cake will read 205-210˚F when done. Every oven is different, so it’s better to use the toothpick or thermometer (even better) to determine doneness.
Cool cake on a cooling rack for 5 minutes; then invert it out of the pan onto the rack. The bottom of the cake will become the top side that you glaze in the next step.
For the glaze:
Combine the water, extracts and powdered sugar in a small bowl and stir until smooth (if it’s difficult to stir out the lumps, pop the mixture in the microwave for 30 seconds). With a pastry brush, gently brush/pat the glaze all over the cake while it’s warm. Just keep going over the cake till the glaze is gone. Some of it will drip off, but most of it will soak in.
Allow cake to cool completely before serving (this will harden the glaze.) Sprinkle the top with powdered sugar if desired before serving
Notes
See Café Tips above in the post for further instructions and more detailed tips.
If you don't have almond flour and don't want to purchase it, this cake will be delicious with 1½ cups of all-purpose flour instead of 1 cup of flour and ½ cup of almond flour.
Nutrition
Calories: 252kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 4gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 117mgPotassium: 105mgFiber: 1gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 59IUCalcium: 56mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Cherry Almond Cake/Cherry Cake/Easy Almond Cake
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