cherry crumb cake
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.
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.
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.
How to Store Cherry Crumb Cake
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.
More cherry recipes you’ll love:
- Classic Cherry Pie
- Brown Butter Cherry Coffee Cake
- Cherry Almond Galette
- Mixed Berry Cherry Slab Pie
Cherry Crumb Cake
- 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 the perfect summer cake recipe!
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.
Keywords: Cherry, Cherry Cake, Crumb Cake
Stunning Cherry Crumb Cake Laura! I love how those juicy cherries pop out and look so pretty! and that crumb! looks mighty delicious!! 🙂
I’ve got cherries on the brain lately Laura, so this will be on my baking list shortly! It looks wonderful!
I love the way you present your crumb cakes Laura, they always look so tempting!
You had me with the gorgeous cherries and golden crumb, but the fact that this is a buttermilk cake scented with almond and vanilla makes it totally swoon-worthy in my book. Amazing!
love this cake!!! and now I need more cherries!!
Cherry season is always too short! This gorgeous crumb cake is a wonderful way to enjoy every last moment before they are gone!
Those cherries and that crumb topping! OH my gosh, SOOOO GOOOD! I can’t wait to make this!
We bought some fabulous cherries in Switzerland to munch on and now I need to buy some to bake your incredible cake!!!
Utterly delicious and once again inspiring me to get the cherries out.
Mmm that crumbage on top!! That’s the best 😀
I can’t ever get enough sweet cherries. This is another wonderful way to feed my obsession! It’s beautiful Laura!
Absolutely cherry perfection! We are seeing the nicest cherries here this year, so can’t wait to try this 🙂
Oh my gosh, that looks incredible!
The crumbs looking so good! And those cherries LOVE.
Ooh, yet another beautiful cherry recipe of yours, Laura! LOVE!
This cake, Laura! It’s been on my mind since I first say the cover of Bake from Scratch! I love your take on it… simply scrumptious!
Mom and I made this today, Laura! I subbed a bit of almond flour for AP and made little cake muffins so we could freeze half. We LOVED the recipe! Tender, crumbly, almondy… that almond extract took this one over the top! Dad loved it! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Traci! So glad you tried the recipe and loved it – almonds with cherries are the best, and I love your idea of cake muffins! xo
This recipe looks delicious! I’ve only got rainier cherries on hand- it might lose some of the look, but prob taste as good!
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 cake is so delicious and my family loved it!
★★★★★
So glad you tried this recipe, Amy! 🙂 It’s the perfect cake for cherry season!