This cherry almond bundt cake is a moist almond cake with sweet cherries mixed in. The result? A perfectly moist almost pound-cake-like-cake, drizzled with an almond glaze and topped with chopped almonds. It’s rich and light all at the same time!
Okay so I had a Raven Symoné-like-vision about this cake a few weeks ago. I paused everything I was doing, quickly switched my head to the side, and saw–this tender cherry almond cake adorned with the perfect almond glaze and chopped almonds.
This cherry almond bundt cake ticks all of my cake boxes, incredibly moist crumb, perfect balance of sweetness and a variety of textures. It comes together in just under an hour and a half making it the perfect dessert to whip together at the last minute!
The use of almond flour really does wonders for the texture of this cherry almond bundt cake by adding an extra softness and bite. It’s hard to explain it until you try it but I highly recommend not skipping the almond flour!
Shopping List for this Cherry Almond bundt Cake
Unsalted Butter
All Purpose Flour
Powdered Sugar
Salt
Almond Flour
Vanilla Extract
Almond Extract
Baking Powder
Sour Cream
Eggs
Sweet Cherries
Karis’ Tips for the Best Cherry Almond Cake
A note on cherries
This cherry almond bundt cake recipe uses frozen sweet cherries that we thaw and dry off. I used frozen cherries because I didn’t have access to fresh cherries when I wrote the recipe. However you may substitute the frozen for fresh cherries. Just make sure they are properly ripe and sweet. If using frozen cherries, be sure to properly thaw and thoroughly dry them before adding them to the cake batter.
The bake is slow
Your cherry almond bundt cake will bake for longer than a cake baked in a round pan. The bake time is close to one hour. Be sure that a knife or toothpick comes out clean or with very few crumbs before removing the cake from the oven. As always, all ovens vary, so pay attention to how your cake is looking around the 40-45 minute mark!
Choose your topping
I chose to top my cherry almond bundt cake with a glaze and chopped almonds for added texture. I highly recommend the glaze but feel free to add any toppings you’d like! Even adding a few fresh cherries on top, or a cherry sauce, could be nice.
Looking for other cakes with fruit in them? Check out my super easy Strawberry Chocolate Cake!
Can baking be therapeutic?
I often talk about baking being a therapeutic hobby but I’d like to share more about why I feel that way as well as how it can become a relaxing hobby for you! When I bake, it’s my creative time. I may put on my favorite nostalgic movie or tv show in the background, or a Spotify playlist titled “French café” and leave my troubles behind.
Sometimes I pour myself a glass of wine and light a candle. Then, with the mood set, the mixing of batter, kneading of dough and smoothing of icing is my only care in the world.
When I say baking is therapeutic, sometimes people respond saying “not for me it isn’t!” I completely understand why someone might feel that way. There have been plenty of times where I spend hours on something only for it to fail or something breaks that shouldn’t or I forget to clean as I go and am left with a disastrous kitchen to clean.
So I should in reality, have a caveat to my “baking as therapy” claims…
Baking is therapy when you curate the experience to be relaxing.
How do you curate that relaxing experience for yourself, you ask?
How to make baking therapeutic…
- Prepare your mind–know that it’s okay if the cake doesn’t rise, or the butter wasn’t chilled enough. Shift your mindset from seeing your failures as mistakes to seeing them as opportunities for learning.
- Prepare your space–I cannot and will not bake on top of a messy kitchen. If I were to do this I would be starting from a place of stress! Take an extra 10 minutes to clean any dishes in the sink and wipe down the counters, this small effort will pay you back greatly in brain space and clarity.
- Clean as you go! I’ll tell you the one way to make baking stressful and tiresome, is to not clean as you go! After I use each ingredient that I no longer need, I put it away.
After each major step in the process, I wipe down the counters and put dishes that are no longer needed in the sink. If there is chill time or baking time I don’t sit, I do the cleaning then. Make this shift and you’ll really notice the difference!
By the way, this last tip really helped me when I was on The Great American Baking Show–and the crew that cleaned up behind us made a point to tell me that my workspace was always so clean they didn’t have much to do!
I would reply by saying “it’s how I stay sane in this tent!”
Additional suggestions:
*Maybe try printing off the recipe instead of looking at it on your phone, tablet or laptop and use this time to unplug from technology for a few hours
**Invite friends or family over to share your creation with you. Time spent with loved ones over food is a universally special experience
And that’s how I discovered baking for my mental health. If you try any of these suggestions, let me know how it went for you! I’m really invested in spreading this message to others in hopes that baking will enhance your lives more than it already does!
Happiest Baking!
Cherry Almond Cake
Ingredients
For the Cherry Almond Cake
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large egg whites room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup sour cream room temperature
- 10 oz frozen sweet cherries or 1 1/2 cups of fresh cherries
- 1 Tbsp powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup chopped almonds optional
For the Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp milk
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
Instructions
For the Cherry Almond Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (roughly 180°C) and prepare the bundt pan (I use a 9") by spraying with nonstick spray or coating in melted butter. Then liberally coat the greased pan in flour (I used almond flour but regular flour is fine) until every surface of the inside of the bundt pan is covered, discarding any excess flour. Set aside.
- Prepare cherries either by rinsing 10oz of frozen cherries in water until thawed and setting them on a towel to dry, or by pitting 1 1/2 cups of fresh cherries and setting them aside.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, add 1 cup (2 sticks) of room temperature butter and 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar. Beat together for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl using a spatula and then add in 4 large egg whites at room temperature, 2 tsp of vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp of almond extract. Mix again until incorporated (about 1 more minute). This is the last stage we want to add any air into the batter.
- Add 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour, 1 1/2 cups of almond flour, 1 tsp of salt, and 2 tsp of baking powder directly into the bowl. Mix until just barely combined. You should still see a few streaks of flour.
- Using a spatula, mix the rest of the batter by hand until no more streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix.
- Add in 1/2 cup of room temperature sour cream and mix until combined.
- Take the prepared cherries and dry them off completely. If using frozen cherries, you will really have to press down using a paper towel to make sure they are as dry as possible.
- In a small bowl, toss the cherries in 1 Tbsp of powdered sugar and add the tossed cherries directly into the batter. Mix until the cherries are evenly spread throughout the cake batter.
- Add the cake batter evenly into the prepared bundt pan and bake for 50-55 minutes.
- Remove the cake from the oven once a knife or toothpick comes out of the center of the cake mostly clean.
- Allow the cake to cool at room temperature for 15 minutes before turning out onto your serving dish.
For the Glaze
- While the cake is cooling, in a small or medium bowl, mix together 1 cup of powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp of milk and 1/4 tsp of almond extract until a thick glaze forms.
- Spoon the glaze over the cooled cake, sprinkle with chopped almonds or the topping of your choice, and enjoy!
I made this for my mum’s birthday and it came out amazing! The texture is so soft and light. I didn’t make any substitutions. Perfect recipe!
Emily, thank you so much for sharing this! Happy birthday to your mum, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!