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The best kind of cherry crumb cake is a plush buttermilk cake, scented with almond and vanilla, and topped with a scattering of sweet dark cherries. Piled high with buttery crumbs and baked until beautifully golden, this is the cherry cake your summer needs. Recipe makes one 9-inch crumb cake.
Cut into the cake, and you’ll find each wedge bursting with juicy cherries. Whether you enjoy this cake for dessert or weekend brunch, there’s no better way to celebrate cherry season.
Love homemade crumb cake? Try my New York style crumb cake or blueberry crumb cake recipe next!
Essential Ingredients
Here’s what you need to bake this easy cherry crumb cake:
- Flour – Use all-purpose flour in this recipe.
- Sugar – The crumb topping and the cake both incorporate granulated sugar.
- Cinnamon – Adds a hint of cozy spice to the crumb topping.
- Salt – Enhances the flavor.
- Butter – The crumb topping and vanilla glaze both use melted butter. For the cake, use room temperature unsalted butter (room temperature butter is slightly cool to the touch and your finger will make a shallow impression).
- Almond extract – Pure almond extract flavors the crumb topping and the cake, a nice complement to the cherry layer.
- Vanilla – Pure vanilla extract flavors the cake and the glaze. My favorite is Rodelle Gourmet Vanilla Extract.
- Baking powder and baking soda – Gives the cake a lift. Both are necessary since the cake uses buttermilk.
- Eggs – The cake batter uses two large eggs plus one egg yolk for a tender crumb.
- Buttermilk – Use full fat buttermilk. The acidity helps activate the baking soda, which makes the cake super fluffy.
- Cherry preserves – Swirls of cherry preserves intensify the cherry flavor. I love Bonne Maman Cherry Preserves.
- Fresh cherries – A must for cherry cake! Fresh cherries are ideal. To prep the cherries for baking, remove the pits and slice in half with a sharp knife. You can also use frozen pitted cherries (no need to thaw, just add straight from the freezer).
- Powdered sugar – Makes a perfectly smooth glaze.
- Milk – A splash of milk makes the glaze easy to drizzle.
How to Make Cherry Crumb Cake
Springform Pan – Use a 9-inch springform pan. Brush the bottom and sides of the pan evenly with softened butter. Line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper.
Room Temperature Ingredients – For a smooth and uniform cake batter, room temperature ingredients are essential. Bring butter, eggs, egg yolk, and buttermilk to room temperature before beginning.
Crumb Topping – To make the crumb topping, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Add melted butter and almond extract, and toss mixture with a fork until crumbly. Chill topping until ready to use.
Cake – Full fat buttermilk and two large eggs plus one egg yolk ensure a golden and tender crumb for this cake. Pure almond extract paired with vanilla extract adds rich flavor, and swirls of cherry preserves topped with fresh cherries add a delicious cherry layer.
Baking Time – Bake cake for 65 minutes to 70 minutes, or until the top is golden and springs back to the touch, and a tester inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs attached. If the cake is browning too quickly, tent loosely with foil after 40 minutes of baking.
Cooling Time – Transfer baked crumb cake to a wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes before removing the sides from the springform pan. Cool completely before glazing and serving.
Vanilla Glaze – Whisk together melted butter, salt, vanilla, powdered sugar, and milk in a small bowl. Drizzle vanilla glaze over crumb cake and let set before serving.
Storage and Freezing Tips
Store the baked crumb cake at room temperature overnight, or wrap well and refrigerate. Reheat crumb cake in a warm oven (300°F) before serving.
To freeze leftover crumb cake, wrap each slice tightly in plastic wrap and pop into a freezer bag for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to enjoy, reheat in a warm oven (325°F) for 15 minutes or until heated through before serving.
More cherry recipes you’ll love:
- Classic Cherry Pie Bars
- Homemade Cherry Pie
- Brown Butter Cherry Coffee Cake
- Cherry Almond Galette
- Mixed Berry Cherry Slab Pie
Did you try this Cherry Crumb Cake Recipe? Let me know by leaving a comment and rating below!
PrintCherry Crumb Cake with Vanilla Glaze
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 65 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 1 9-inch cake
- Category: Cake
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Bursting with juicy cherries and piled high with golden crumb topping, this easy cherry crumb cake is soft and buttery! Recipe makes one 9-inch crumb cake.
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
- 2/3 cup flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/8 tsp pure almond extract
Cake
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 3/4 tsp aluminum free baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 10 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1 tsp pure almond extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup cherry preserves
- 12 oz (340 g) fresh cherries, pitted and halved
Glaze
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan evenly with softened butter. Line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper.
- Make crumb topping: Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl; add melted butter and almond extract, and toss mixture with a fork until crumbly. Chill topping in the freezer until needed.
- Make cake: Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar in a large mixer bowl on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in almond and vanilla extracts. Reduce speed to low and add eggs and egg yolk one at a time. Add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with buttermilk, just until incorporated (begin and end with flour mixture).
- Scrape batter into prepared baking pan and smooth with an offset spatula. Tap pan sharply to remove air bubbles. Top the batter with spoonfuls of cherry preserves and gently swirl in slightly with a toothpick or wooden skewer. Top with cherries, pressing slightly into batter. Sprinkle with crumb topping.
- Bake crumb cake for 65 to 70 minutes, until edges are golden, cake springs back to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes before removing sides from pan; let cool completely.
- Make glaze: Whisk together melted butter, salt, vanilla, powdered sugar, and milk in a small bowl. Drizzle glaze over crumb cake and let set before serving.
- Store crumb cake at room temperature overnight, or wrap well and refrigerate. Reheat crumb cake in a warm oven (300°F) before serving.
Notes
Baking powder: To keep the cake batter from turning blue, use an aluminum-free baking powder.
Cherries: Fresh cherries are ideal and recommended. You can also use frozen pitted cherries (no need to thaw, just add straight from the freezer). Frozen cherries may extend the baking time by approximately 5-10 minutes due to the extra moisture.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I am a cherry fanatic, a truely passionate disciple of the fruit and no substitute, modified, pickled, canned, candied, chemically enhanced or created replica will enter or exit my kitchen. Nothing judgmental or snobbish… just a reminder to my friends that cherries are a gift that comes worth waiting, that separates the cherry flavored candy and grocery store cherry pies from the beautiful harvest of northern U.S. and California fresh cherries that have you grabbing handfuls and you quickly remind yourself of how a stem and pit are a minor bump that keep the selection between the ease and confidence of a can or jar vs these delicious jewels of perfection way too vast to resemble each other. And yet recipes for the fresh varieties are so elusive and coffee and crumb cakes descend into instant pudding and cool whip choices (fine for last minute pot luck or what you have on hand emergencies) or elaborate body bending feat of superhuman effort concoction, this is exactly what I wanted to find.
I put my focus on high quality ingredient and can show off those amazing cherries I have. This is delicious!
Thanks so much for your feedback, Merzy!
Great recipe! I didn’t add about a cup of the cherries to the cake as I have a slightly smaller springform pan and started to worry that I would be adding too many cherries. All the flavors came together beautifully and it was a lovely cake to have over the 4th of July.
Thanks so much, Ana! 🙂
This recipe looks delicious! I’ve only got rainier cherries on hand- it might lose some of the look, but prob taste as good!