You’ll love this moist Cherry Sour Cream Cake. An easy from scratch layer cake brimming with tangy, cherry flavor. Pretty in pink on the outside with a gorgeous layer of cherry pie filling in the middle!
Moist cake, cherry buttercream frosting and a surprise ingredient in the middle. What’s not to love about that?
The rich flavor and stunning appearance are a showstopper every time you serve it.
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Easy Sour Cream Cake
This cherry cake always gets rave reviews! No doubt why. The moist texture, tender crumb, and the best flavor in a white cake.
Perfect for a special celebration or a slice with a cup of coffee .
This recipe started out on a little scrap of paper found in a pack of vintage recipes purchased on eBay. I developed a from scratch version of the original Cherry Cake but she got a facelift.
All the key flavors are here but in a glamourous form. It’s a beautiful layer cake with cherry pie filling in the middle, pink frosting (from maraschino cherry juice) with the tangy from scratch cake.
It’s a cake that takes a bit more time to make and it’s totally worth it.
Recipe Ingredients + Notes
All Purpose Flour. Use regular or gluten free measure-for-measure flour blend*.
Granulated Sugar. Sweetener for the cake.
Baking Powder and Baking Soda. The rising agents for the cake. Using both gives a great shape and structure.
Salt. We recommend kosher salt which is a less salty tasting salt.
Sour cream. Use full fat sour cream for best results.
Unsalted Butter. Start with softened butter for best results.
Egg Whites. You’ll need three; no egg yolk is used.
Almond Extract. Almond and cherry are delicious together. A bit of extract gives a nice flavor to the tender cake.
Cherry Pie Filling. Canned pie filling or homemade cherry pie filling can be used. This is the secret ingredient!
Powdered Sugar. Used for the buttercream frosting.
Maraschino Cherry Juice. This is used for the frosting both for flavor and color.
Optional decoration. Fresh cherries and sliced almonds.
How to Make it – Step-by-Step
STEP 1. Preparation
Pre heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two 8-inch round cake pans with cooking spray (photo 1).
STEP 2. Make the Sour Cream Cake
In a large mixing bowl whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt (photo 2).
Add the wet ingredients: sour cream, butter, egg whites and almond extract (photo 3).
Using an electric mixer (handheld or stand mixer with the paddle attachment) mix on medium speed for 2 minutes until combined.
Spoon the thick batter evenly into each prepared round cake pan (photo 4).
STEP 3. Bake the cake
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean (photo 5).
Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to fully cool before frosting (photo 6).
STEP 4. Make the frosting and filling
Process the cherry filling in a food processor or using an immersion blender until large pieces are gone (photos 7-8).
This step is key to ensure the filling works in the middle of the cake and large pieces don’t fall out when the cake is cut.
In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream butter on high speed until fluffy.
Add some of the powdered sugar and continue mixing until combined. Continue adding the powdered sugar until smooth and creamy (photo 9-10).
Add the cherry juice and mix on low speed for 2 minutes. Adjust the frosting consistency as needed (photo 10-11).
STEP 5. Assemble the cake
Place one cooled cake layer on a cake plate and frost to cover the top about 1/4-inch thick (photo 12-13).
Add 1 cup frosting to a piping bag fitted with a 1A Wilton tip (photo 14).
Pipe a line of frosting around the outer edge of the cake layer on top of the layer. This will create a dam for the the cherry filling (photos 15-16).
Remove any extra frosting from the piping bag and combine with the rest of the frosting.
Spoon the cherry filling onto the top of the cake layer gently smoothing to the frosting barrier (photos 17-18). Do not overfill over the top of the frosting ‘dam’.
Add the remaining cake layer on top (photo 19).
Frost the top and sides of the cake (photo 20-22).
STEP 6. Optional decorating of the cake top
If desired pipe remaining frosting on top of the cake using a Wilton 1M tip (photo 23).
Top with cherries and/or some sliced almonds for crunch (photo 24).
Variations
Don’t include almond. The almond extract can be replaced with vanilla extract. The optional almonds can be left off the top of the cake.
Make it a chocolate cake. Use vanilla extract and frost with chocolate frosting instead. Chocolate shavings on top make it a one of those delicious cakes you can’t get enough of!
For a deeper pink frosting color some red or pink gel food coloring can be added.
As a swap for the cherry juice in the frosting 5 tablespoons of milk and three teaspoons of vanilla extract can be used. It will not have a pink color unless food coloring is used.
Want a shortcut? Use a box vanilla cake mix (or yellow or white), substitute sour cream for the vegetable oil called for in the box mix.
After preparing the cake mixture make sure the cake batter has the same consistency as it normally would.
If too dry add a tablespoon or two more sour cream. Bake as directed and finish this cake recipe as written.
Tips for cooling the cake
- Do not proceed to the filling and frosting until the cake is completely cooled as the frosting will melt.
- The cake can be made the day prior to assembly. Cool the cake layers for 1 hour at room temperature then cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- If overnight chilling isn’t an option refrigerate for 2-3 hours to get a good chill.
Pro Tips
Be sure to start with a cool cake before frosting. If the cake is still warm it will melt the frosting.
How to Store
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
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Recipe
Cherry Sour Cream Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour regular or gluten-free measure-for-measure flour blend*
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter softened
- 3 egg whites
- 1 teaspoon almond extract vanilla extract can be substituted
Cherry filling
- 1 cup cherry pie filling canned or homemade
Frosting
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter softened
- 6 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
- Optional garnish: 8 cherries, 3 tablespoons sliced almonds
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 2 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray (or butter and flour).
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the sour cream, butter, egg whites, and almond (or vanilla) extract. Mix together with a hand mixer for 2 minutes until well combined. The batter will be thick.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Spread batter to the edges with a spatula or knife.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove from the pans and cool completely on a cooling rack before proceeding with frosting the cake.
Frosting
- Using an immersion blender or a food processor, chop the cherry pie filling until the large chunks are gone.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy.
- Add part of the powdered sugar and continue mixing until combined. Continue adding in the remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth and creamy.
- Add in the maraschino cherry juice and continue mixing for another 2 minutes.
- Assess and adjust the frosting consistency as needed. If the frosting will be piped and the frosting is too thin, add another 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. If the frosting is too thick, add another tablespoon of cherry juice or milk.
How to assemble the cake
- Place the bottom cake layer on a cake plate, cake stand, or on a cake decorating stand. Add a little bit of frosting and cover the entire top, about 1/4 inch thick.
- Fill a piping bag with 1 cup of frosting and tip the bag with a 1A Wilton tip. If a piping bag is not available, fill a plastic bag with 1 cup of frosting and cut the corner off to create a round tip.
- Line the outer edge just inside the outer edge on top of the cake layer) of the cake layer with a ribbon of frosting. This will create a dam for the the cherry filling. Squeeze any remaining frosting back into the bowl and use to frost the cake.
- Spoon the cherry pie filling into the middle of the cake and gently spread it to the edges. Be careful not to overfill, the cherry pie filling should not fill higher than the frosting edging that was piped on.
- Gently add the second cake layer on top of the cake. Frost the top and sides of the cake.
Decorating the top of the cake (optional)
- To decorate the top, fill a piping bag with the remaining frosting and tip the bag with a 1M Wilton tip. Create swirls around the top edges of the cake, top with cherries, and sprinkle almond slices (optional). If there is leftover frosting you may use it to add a ribbon around the bottom of the cake.
Notes
- 2 layer cake – 12 slices
- Frosting Yields 5 cups – Enough for 2 layer cake or 24 cupcakes
- Do not proceed to the filling and frosting until the cake is completely cooled as the frosting will melt.
- The cake can be made the day prior to assembly. Cool the cake layers for 1 hour at room temperature then cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- If overnight chilling isn’t an option refrigerate for 2-3 hours to get a good chill.
Nutrition
Originally published: July 6, 2012. If you’d like a copy of the original version of this layer cake, sending us an email!
Maren says
I’ve been looking for a birthday cake recipe for my 3 year old! Thank you for sharing this!
Olivia says
I had some cherries peaches and sour cream hanging around so made this cake recipe into a loaf pan (no frosting). I used Bobs gluten free flower, substituted the sugar for maple syrup, and put in some extra sour cream because I had to use it up! I sprinkled almonds on top for decoration. It took about 1 hour to cook and never quite browned. But very tasty and great texture! Thank you for bringing this recipe back into fashion!
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AJ says
I make this every summer. ❤️It is definitely a food of love because of the pitting, but is worth it. This year I’m going to add peaches to the middle and top layers.
Toni Dash says
YUMMMM! Sounds perfect! Thanks AJ for letting me know. I always love hearing from readers who make and love these recipes as much as I do (especially a vintage one like this).
Judy P says
Is there a print feature that will only print the actual recipe rather than printing the whole post?
Toni Dash says
Hi Judy. This delicious cake was on Boulder Locavore before the current recipe format was installed so has not been put into that format yet. However after getting your comment, I just updated it so you can print just the recipe! It should work for you now.
Katiekatie says
That is a great story!! And thanks for getting back to me SO quickly! I am ready to make it this weekend and I will post how it turns out in case anyone else wants to make it out of season, too!! 🙂
Katie says
I KNOW this is a horrible question, but can anything be used in place of fresh cherries? They are not in season now, and I have a request for a cherry cake for a birthday this weekend!?! I SOOO want to make THIS one!!! Help!
Toni Dash says
Katie it’s not a horrible question! There is a reason frozen and canned fruit is available, for this very situation! Go frozen and thawed. The structure of the cherries will be most similar to fresh. For the pie filling recipe you could probably used canned cherries too but I’m unsure you can find sweet canned cherries or if they’d have additional sugar which you don’t want. Good luck!
A funny story: my Great Grandfather worked for the Carneige Institute. A young scientist had an idea and wanted to speak to a housewife about it so my Great Grandfather brought him to meet my Great Grandmother. He had an idea of going into the fields during the harvest to freeze fresh produce for use out of season. Grammy said she did not see much use for that. Fortunately he did not listen to her; he was Clarence Birdseye! Fortunately Grammy did not single handedly ruin your chance of making this cherry cake whenever you choose to!
Cake Lover says
I made this cake, and my family loved it! The only thing I would do differently next time is bake the cake in a sheet or loaf. The thick layer of cream made the cake difficult to cut, as it slid, and the layers separated while doing so. Still, a great one! Thank you!
Anita at Hungry Couple says
This looks so rustic and old fashioned…and delicious. Nice job.
gastronomic nomad says
20 lbs. That is a lot of cherries! I never even thought of buying old recipes on eBay. That's a great idea! I always love old recipes and intrigued to find what has survived time and what hasn't. Congrats on top 9!
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
I love that you bought a box of old recipes on ebay. I love unearthing old recipes that are family favorites – I've been lucky enough to 'inherit' some by my great-grandmother who was a wonderful cook. I have a cherry pitter that I couldn't live without, and love the idea of a cherry sour cream cake. Many congrats on Top 9!
Boulder Locavore says
I too have a box of recipes in my Grandmother and Great Grandmother's hand. I think that is what sparked my passion for trying and sharing vintage recipes. With the cyber age all those recipes stand to be forgotten. Thank you very much for reading and taking the time to comment.