The Best Maraschino Cherry Cake – a Valentine Tradition

This Maraschino Cherry Cake is a Valentine tradition in my house.

Many years ago Duncan Hines made a cherry vanilla cake mix. At least, I think it was Duncan Hines. But it may have been Betty Crocker, or even Pillsbury. My Mom bought all three, although we were partial to Duncan Hines.

It quickly became everyones’ favorite cake. In fact, I fondly remember a very cherry summer, where we made all sorts of Cake Mix desserts out of that cherry vanilla mix and chased them with Cherry 7up. And then, like so many great things, the cake mix was discontinued and that was the end of that.

Except, we all missed that cake terribly. We tried the Cherry Chip variation that came out subsequent to the retirement of Cherry Vanilla, but it just wasn’t the same. After a few years lamenting the loss of our beloved cake, my Mom had the bright idea to add maraschino cherry juice to a white cake mix. And voila! Cherry Vanilla cake was back. For the next several years we routinely made cherry vanilla cake this way. And then, the big cake mix companies released French Vanilla cake mix, which when mixed with maraschino cherry juice, made an even more delicious cake. Check the recipe notes for this delicious short cut.

But . . . I wanted to try my hand at making a Maraschino Cherry Cake from scratch. And, after many, many tries, I nailed it.

Why You’ll Love It:

This is an easy scratch mix to make. The cherry juice makes the cake nice and moist and adds so much flavor you don’t have to worry about tings like the perfect crumb or a cake that’s too dry. So if you are new to scratch baking this is a great “beginner” recipe.

It’s made basically with pantry staples. The only “special” ingredient you need for this cherry cake is cherries. And if you love cherries as much as we do, you probably have those on hand.

Of course, if you don’t love cherries, you probably won’t love this cake. It has a distinct cherry flavor. If that’s not your thing skip this recipe and try my red velvet cupcakes instead.

This maraschino cherry cake is also a very pretty cake. It’s pastel pink color is perfect for Valentine’s Day or any spring holiday.

How to Make Maraschino Cherry Cake:

Cherry Cake

Begin by preheating your oven to 325 degrees and spraying two heart-shaped pans with baking spray. You can also use 8 (my preference) or 9 inch round pans.

To make the cake, whisk together 3 cups of all purpose flour, 1 1/2 tablespoons of baking powder and 1 teaspoon of salt.

cream together 3/4 cup of room temperature butter and 1 1/3 cups of sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. You can use a hand mixer if you don’t have a stand mixer.

In a 2-cup measuring cup, combine 3/4 cup of cherry juice from the cherry jar (but be sure to reserve 1/2 cup for the frosting – I use two jars of cherries for this recipe). If you you don’t have enough cherry juice, add water or additional milk to each 3/4 cup. Also add 1/2 cup of buttermilk, 1 tablespoon of vanilla and 1 teaspoon of cherry extract, if desired.

Then, using a hand mixer, beat 6 egg whites in a small bowl until stiff peaks formed, about 8 minutes.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together 3/4 cup of softened butter and 1 1/3 cups fo sugar until light and fluffy. This takes longer than you think. Let it go for about 5 minutes.

Alternatively add the flour mixture and cherry juice mixture to the mixing bowl, beginning and ending with the flour, being sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl and combining the ingredients well. Carefully fold in the egg whites, just until combined.

Transfer the batter to prepared pans and bake for about 24-26 minutes. Actually bake time will depend on your oven and the size of the pans you use.

The cake is finished when it pulls away from the sides and the top of the cake springs back lightly when touched. After the cakes cooled for about ten minutes, remove them from the pans and transferred them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cherry Buttercream Frosting

Meanwhile make the cherry frosting. Begin by beating four sticks of room temperature butter in the bowl of a stand mixer until light and creamy.

Then, add 23 cups of confectioners sugar and mix on low..

Add 1/2 cup of cherry juice, 2 teaspoons of vanilla and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream to the bowl and mix well.

Add 3 more cups of confectioner’s sugar, scraping down the bowl between additions. Add additional heavy cream as needed. You may need more or less confectioner’s sugar, depending on taste preference. Sometimes I also add more cream if the icing is too thick.

Assemble the Cherry Cake

Once cake is cool, trasner one layer to a serving dish and add frosting. Place haled cherries on top of the frosting.

Add the top layer. and frost the sides and top of cake. Use a piping bag to add some decorations, if desired, and top some colored sugar Valentine’s Day sprinkles.

This recipe made a beautifully colored Valentine cake. No additional food coloring was used to get this pretty pink color.

Enjoy!

Maraschino cherry cake goes perfectly with a cup of coffee or tea. It make a lovely Valentine’s Day dessert. But it’s also perfect for Easter, spring birthdays, and summer picnics.

I like to keep this cherry cake in the fridge. The cool temperatures intensify the cherry flavor and make the frosting pop!

Let me know if you give maraschino cherry cake a try.

Off we go!

P.S. Love cherry as much as I do? Try my chocolate cherry cobbler!