Anna Louise Cherry cake is one of those classic British teatime cakes that has been made exactly the same way for generations — a pale, close-textured, buttery sponge generously studded with glacé cherries that give a sticky, slightly sweet pop of colour and flavour in every slice.
It is old-fashioned in the best possible way, and it is one of the most reliably popular cakes I make. Everyone recognises it, everyone loves it, and it keeps beautifully for five days without drying out.
The most common problem with cherry cake is the cherries sinking to the bottom of the tin during baking. I solve this completely by halving the cherries, washing and drying them thoroughly to remove the sticky syrup coating, and tossing them in flour before folding into the batter.
Every single one of these steps matters — together they give cherries that are distributed throughout the cake from top to bottom, exactly as they should be.
Ingredients for Mary Berry Cherry Cake
For the Cherry Cake
- 200g glacé cherries — halved, rinsed under cold water, and thoroughly dried
- 225g unsalted butter, softened
- 225g golden caster sugar
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 225g self-raising flour, sifted — plus 2 tbsp for tossing the cherries
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon — gives brightness and stops the cake tasting flat
To Finish
- 2 tbsp flaked almonds — scattered over the top before baking (optional but beautiful)
- 1 tbsp demerara sugar — scattered over the almonds
- Icing sugar for light dusting after baking
How to Make Mary Berry Cherry Cake
Step 1 — Prepare the Cherries
This step is not optional. Rinse the halved glacé cherries under cold running water to wash off the sticky syrup coating. Dry very thoroughly with kitchen paper — every drop of moisture must be removed. Toss in the two tablespoons of flour. Shake off any excess. Set aside.
The rinsing removes the syrup that makes cherries heavy and sticky. The drying prevents the flour coating from turning to paste. The flour coating gives the batter something to grip so the cherries stay suspended throughout the cake.
Step 2 — Make the Batter
Preheat your oven to 170°C / 150°C fan / Gas 3. Grease a deep 20cm round cake tin and line the base and sides with baking parchment.
Beat the softened butter and golden caster sugar together for four to five minutes until pale and genuinely fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add the vanilla extract and lemon zest.
Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl. Add the milk. Fold gently until just combined.
Step 3 — Fold in the Cherries
Add the prepared cherries to the batter. Fold in with three to four gentle strokes — just enough to distribute them evenly without breaking them up.
Step 4 — Bake
Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and spread evenly. Scatter the flaked almonds and demerara sugar over the top if using.
Bake for 55 to 65 minutes until the cake is golden, slightly shrunk from the sides of the tin, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cover loosely with baking parchment after 40 minutes if the top is browning too quickly.
Cool in the tin for 20 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack. Cool completely.
Step 5 — Finish
Dust lightly with icing sugar before serving.
My Top Tips For Perfect Mary Berry Cherry Cake
Rinse, dry, and flour-coat the cherries — all three steps. I have made cherry cake without one or more of these steps and the cherries always sink. With all three steps — rinsing off the syrup, drying completely, and tossing in flour — the cherries stay exactly where they should be. Do not skip any of them.
Halve the cherries rather than leaving them whole. Whole glacé cherries are heavier and sink more readily than halved ones. Halved cherries also give a better distribution of cherry in each slice — more cherry pieces visible in every bite.
Bake at a lower temperature. The high butter content makes cherry cake more prone to browning before the centre is fully baked. 170°C / 150°C fan gives a more even, more controlled bake without over-browning the surface.
The flaked almond and demerara topping is a small detail that makes a big difference. It gives the finished cake a slightly professional, slightly bakery-quality appearance and adds a lovely crunch to every bite. I always include it.
This cake is better on day two. The buttery, slightly dense crumb deepens in flavour and becomes slightly more yielding after a day. Make it the day before you plan to serve it when possible.
Serving Suggestions
Sliced at room temperature with a cup of tea — the traditional and most satisfying serving. As an afternoon tea cake for guests. As a gift — cherry cake in a tin with a ribbon is a genuinely thoughtful homemade present.
How to Store Mary Berry Cherry Cake
At room temperature: Store in an airtight tin for up to 5 days. The cake stays moist throughout. In the freezer: Freeze in slices for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature.
Mary Berry Cherry Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 170°C / 150°C fan / Gas 3. Grease and line a deep 20cm round tin.
- Rinse halved cherries under cold water — dry very thoroughly with kitchen paper. Toss in 2 tbsp flour — shake off excess. Set aside.
- Beat butter and sugar 4–5 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and lemon zest. Sift in flour and baking powder — add milk — fold gently.
- Fold prepared cherries into batter with 3–4 gentle strokes.
- Spoon into tin — spread evenly. Scatter flaked almonds and demerara sugar over top. Bake 55–65 minutes until golden and skewer comes out clean. Cover loosely after 40 minutes if browning. Cool in tin 20 minutes — turn out. Cool completely. Dust with icing sugar.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use fresh cherries instead of glacé?
Fresh cherries give a less sweet, less specifically cherry cake result. They release more moisture during baking. If using fresh, stone and halve them, dry thoroughly, toss in flour, and expect a slightly less sweet, slightly more natural cherry flavour.
Can I add ground almonds?
Yes — replacing 50g of the flour with 50g of ground almonds gives a slightly richer, slightly moister cake that suits the cherries very well.
Why are my cherries still sinking despite following the steps?
Check that the cherries were dried completely and that the flour coating was applied immediately before folding — not minutes beforehand when the coating might have become pasty. Also check that the batter is not too loose — a very liquid batter cannot support even well-prepared cherries.
Can I use maraschino cherries?
Maraschino cherries are much wetter than glacé cherries. Drain very thoroughly, pat completely dry, and use immediately. The result will be slightly less sweet than with glacé but very good.
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