Cherry Bakewell Cake

12/07/2019 by thebakingexplorer 35 Comments

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Ad. This post is sponsored by Kitchenaid. All opinions are my own.

I used the fabulous new Queen of Hearts KitchenAid Hand Mixer to make this gorgeous Cherry Bakewell Cake. In order to create something I thought that could live up to the KitchenAid brand and their incredible history I've fused together a traditional bake of the past and brought it into the present with this new twist. It's an almond sponge, filled with cherry jam and almond buttercream, topped with icing, flaked almonds and glace cherries. It's absolutely delicious and such a showstopper!

I'm pretty certain that anyone interested in food or baking has heard of KitchenAid - you'd certainly struggle to find someone with these interests that hasn't! But did you know that KitchenAid has now been around for 100 years? They started in 1919, and to celebrate their 100 year anniversary they've released a new Queen of Hearts range in a gorgeous passion red shade with mini hearts detailing. As well as honouring the past century, KitchenAid are also looking ahead to the future and the creativity of it's makers to come.

I expected the Queen of Hearts KitchenAid Hand Mixer to be an excellent product coming from such an iconic brand, however I was surprised to find it actually improved the texture of my cakes! This Cherry Bakewell Cake was so light and airy! I'm excited to keep using it with all my future bakes!

Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information

Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
I used unsalted butter for the buttercream, for the cake I used a baking spread.
I decorated the cake with glace cherries as they are traditional on cherry bakewell tarts, however if you prefer fresh cherries and they're in season then you could use those instead.
For better flavour, use almond extract, not essence.
Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

How to make Cherry Bakewell Cake

To make the sponges, mix together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Then add the eggs and vanilla, and whisk them in.

Next, add the self raising flour and ground almonds, and divide the mixture between 3 lined 8″ tins.

Once the cakes are baked and cooled, start piling them up. Pipe almond buttercream around the edges and fill the centre with cherry jam. For the top layer, fill the centre with icing instead, then decorate with glace cherries and flaked almonds.

For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

How should the cake be stored and can it be frozen?

The cake should be stored in an airtight container in a cool place and will last for 3 days. You can freeze the sponges either alone, or decorated (but do not freeze the glace cherries). Once the sponges are fully cool, wrap them well with cling film or put them in an airtight container with some baking paper between them. You can freeze the buttercream on it’s own in a tub, or you can decorate the cake and freeze it fully assembled (again, do not freeze the glace cherries). To do this and avoid damage to the decoration, freeze it either in an airtight container. Or let it freeze solid on a cake board or plate, then wrap in cling film. Remove the cling film when you take it out to defrost it, if you don’t it could damage the decoration as it defrosts and softens. You can also freeze slices of the cake, again well wrapped in cling film or in airtight containers.

Can you make the cake with plain/all purpose flour?

Self raising flour, which is very commonly used in the UK where I am based, already contains a raising agent and a little salt too. Therefore if you want to swap it for plain or all purpose flour, you will need to add some additional baking powder and also a little salt if you like. Some people like to add salt to cake recipes and some don't, so I'll leave that up to you as it won't affect the bake. The general advice is to add 2 teaspoons baking powder (a measuring teaspoon, not the kind you stir your coffee with) per every 200g plain or all purpose flour. So for this recipe you'd need to add 4 + ½ teaspoons baking powder. Please note, I have not tested this recipe using plain or all purpose flour.

Can this recipe be made gluten or dairy free?

Yes! To make this recipe gluten free you can replace the self raising flour with a gluten free self raising flour blend. If you only have a gluten free plain flour blend, you will need to add additonal baking powder. The general advice is to add 2 tsp baking powder per 200g flour, so for this recipe you'd need to add 4 + ½ teaspoons baking powder. You may also like to add ½ tsp xanthan gum for better texture. For a dairy free version, use a dairy free baking spread for both the cake and buttercream. Please do check the labels for everything you use to make the cake if you are serving it to someone with an allergy or intolerance.

Can this cake be made in different size cake tins?

Yes! If you would like to make this cake in different size tins, please check my Conversion Guide to find out how to adjust the recipe.

Can this recipe be made into cupcakes?

Yes! Check out my Cherry Bakewell Cupcakes recipe for the details.

More tips for making the Apple Crumble Cake:

I like to pipe the buttercream between the layers, but you can also spread it with a spoon or palette knife.
I decorated the cake with glace cherries as they are traditional on cherry bakewell tarts, however if you prefer fresh cherries and they're in season then you could use those instead.
I used a Wilton 2D nozzle to pipe the buttercream onto the cake, but you can use any nozzle you prefer or spread it on with a spoon.

Troubleshooting

If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you. You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!

Recommended equipment & ingredients*

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