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Cherry Pound Cake Recipe

A moist, buttery Cherry Pound Cake loaded with fresh cherries and finished with a sweet cherry glaze and sauce.
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 10 slices
Calories: 444kcal
Author: Lucy Brewer

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated white sugar
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 ½ cups fresh cherries, pitted and cut in half and tossed with 2 tablespoons of flour
  • extra cherries, to decorate

For the cherry sauce

  • 1 ½ cups cherries, pitted and cut in half
  • ¼ cup granulated white sugar
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • ¼ teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 teaspoon water (slurry)

For the cherry icing

  • 3 tablespoons cherry syrup (reserved from the cherry sauce)
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper and grease with butter or spray with cake release, then set aside.
  • To a bowl, add 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix together, then set aside.
  • In the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature and 1 cup granulated white sugar. Beat on a medium-high speed for 3 minutes or until the mixture is pale and fluffy.
    A metal mixing bowl with sugar and cubed butter inside, placed on a pink surface next to a pink cloth.
  • Add 4 large eggs, room temperature, one at a time, beating between each addition. Next, add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract and beat to combine. The mixture might look curdled at this stage, and that is ok. It will come together.
    A metal mixing bowl with creamed butter and sugar, plus a cracked raw egg, sits on a pink surface next to a pink cloth.
  • Tip the flour mixture into the bowl then gently fold all the ingredients together by hand taking care not to over mix the cake batter.
    A metal mixing bowl with flour and dough sits on a pink surface next to a folded pink cloth.
  • Add a third of the cake batter to the prepared loaf pan smoothing it out into an even layer then top with one third of the fresh cherries. Repeat for the remaining cake batter and cherries.
    A loaf pan lined with parchment paper filled with batter and topped with sugared cranberries, placed on a pink marble surface next to a pink cloth.
  • Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the loaf pan.
    A rectangular loaf pan lined with parchment paper holds unbaked batter topped with scattered cherries, set on a light pink surface beside a pink cloth.

Make the Cherry Compote

  • In a medium saucepan, add 1 1/2 cups cherries, pitted and cut in half, along with 1/4 cup granulated white sugar, 1 tablespoon water and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract. Cook for ten minutes, stirring occasionally. The cherries will release their juices and break down. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the cherry juice for later.
    A stainless steel saucepan with halved cherries and a sprinkling of sugar inside, placed on a woven mat next to a pink cloth on a light pink surface.
  • Stir together 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 teaspoon water (slurry)then mix it into the cherries in the pan. Cook for a minute or so, stirring continuously. At this point the cherry sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, if it isn’t cook it a little longer. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
    A saucepan containing cooked cherries in syrup rests on a woven mat, with a pink cloth partially visible nearby.

Make the Cherry Icing

  • Mix 3 tablespoons cherry syrup (reserved from the cherry sauce) with 1 cup powdered sugar and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract.
    A glass bowl containing powdered sugar and red liquid sits on a woven placemat, with a pink cloth partially visible nearby.
  • Beat until smooth and combined. Add a drop of milk if the icing is too thick.
    A clear glass bowl filled with pink liquid sits on a woven mat, with a pink cloth partially visible to the side.
  • Drizzle the cooled cake with the cherry icing and top with fresh cherries, to decorate. Cut into slices and serve with a dollop of cherry sauce.
    A rectangular loaf cake with pink icing, topped with fresh cherries and decorated with small pink flowers, sits on a white surface.

Notes

  • A pound cake was traditionally made with a pound of each ingredient: butter, sugar, eggs and flour. This recipe uses the same premise, except the ingredients each weigh about half a pound, so that the cake can fit nicely into a loaf pan.
  • We would not recommend using frozen cherries due to the water content, which we feel could alter the final outcome.
  • The cherries in the cake are tossed with flour and added in layers, which helps to prevent them from sinking.
  • This cake is really lovely just as it is and can be served with a dusting of powdered sugar if you don’t want to go to the trouble of making the cherry sauce.
  • The cherry syrup reserved from the sauce is what turns the icing pink and flavors it, so if you do want pink cherry-flavored icing, then go ahead and make the sauce, as it goes so beautifully served with the cake.
  • The ratio of cherry syrup to powdered sugar might seem like too much, but the syrup will be thick and behave differently from other liquids used in icing. If it is very thick, then add a splash of milk until you reach the desired drizzling consistency.
  • You might also consider doubling the cherry sauce ingredients, so you have plenty of leftovers to serve with yogurt, pancakes, waffles or even ice cream!
  • You could also make a basic powdered sugar and milk icing, then color it with pink food coloring instead. Alternatively, use 1 tablespoon of store-bought cherry juice.
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