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Mary Berry Cherry Cake Recipe

Mary Berry Cherry Cake Recipe

Mary Berry’s cherry cake is a moist, buttery sponge generously studded with glacé cherries — a classic British teatime cake that keeps beautifully.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Cooling Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 12 Slices
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: British
Calories: 340
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Cherry Cake:
  • 200 g glacé cherries — halved rinsed, dried thoroughly, tossed in 2 tbsp flour
  • 225 g unsalted butter softened
  • 225 g golden caster sugar
  • 4 large eggs room temperature
  • 225 g self-raising flour sifted
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tbsp whole milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
  • Topping:
  • 2 tbsp flaked almonds
  • 1 tbsp demerara sugar
  • Icing sugar for dusting

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 170°C / 150°C fan / Gas 3. Grease and line a deep 20cm round tin.
  2. Rinse halved cherries under cold water — dry very thoroughly with kitchen paper. Toss in 2 tbsp flour — shake off excess. Set aside.
  3. 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.
  4. Fold prepared cherries into batter with 3–4 gentle strokes.
  5. 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

Rinse, dry, and flour-coat the cherries — all three steps are needed to stop them sinking.
Halve the cherries — smaller pieces stay suspended better and give more cherry per slice.
Bake at a lower temperature — high butter content makes this cake prone to over-browning.
Flaked almond and demerara topping gives a professional, attractive finish and a pleasant crunch.
Better on day two — the crumb deepens in flavour and becomes more yielding overnight.
Freeze in slices for up to 3 months.
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