Description
A tender vanilla cake with cherry bits, layered with smooth pink cherry frosting and decorated with cherry blossom buttercream flowers.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 ¾ cups (345 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ¾ cups (350 g) sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 4 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups (300 ml) whole milk, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120 g) sour cream
- ¾ cup (150 g) finely chopped maraschino cherries (patted dry)
- 2–3 tbsp cherry juice (from jar)
- Pink gel food coloring (optional)
- 1 ½ cups (340 g) unsalted butter, softened (for frosting)
- 5–6 cups (600–720 g) powdered sugar
- ¼ cup (60 ml) maraschino cherry juice
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Extra buttercream in different pink shades (for decoration)
- Whole cherries with stems or small mint leaves (for decoration)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease and line three 8-inch pans.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In another bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy.
- Add egg whites one at a time.
- Mix in milk, sour cream, vanilla, and cherry juice.
- Add dry ingredients and mix gently.
- Fold in the chopped cherries.
- Add a tiny drop of pink food color if desired.
- Divide into pans and bake for 24–28 minutes.
- Cool fully before frosting.
- Mix cherries, cherry juice, and cornstarch in a saucepan and heat until thickened (1–2 minutes). Cool completely.
- Beat butter for 3 minutes until pale.
- Add powdered sugar gradually.
- Add cherry juice, almond extract, and vanilla. Mix until smooth and fluffy.
- Tint the frosting pale blush pink.
- Layer the cake by placing the first cake layer on a board, adding a ring of buttercream around the edge, filling the center with a thin layer of cherry filling, and spreading buttercream on top. Repeat with remaining layers.
- Apply a thin crumb coat and chill for 20 minutes.
- Add the final smooth pink frosting layer.
- Tint small batches of buttercream in 2–3 shades of pink and pipe mini cherry blossoms around the cake sides.
- Pipe soft rosettes on top using a star tip and place whole cherries (or cherry pearls) with tiny mint leaves at the center of each rosette.
- Chill the cake for 1 hour for perfect clean slices before serving.
Notes
- Ensure cherries are patted dry to avoid excess moisture in the cake.
- Use room temperature ingredients for better mixing.
- Chill the cake after assembly for cleaner slices.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 28 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 35g
- Sodium: 200mg
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 60g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 50mg