French-style Cherry Cake (Gâteau aux cerises)
Here’s to the perfect summer treat – a Cherry Cake, inspired by the beloved dessert from the Vosges Mountains, in Eastern France. This cake is light, airy, bouncy and nestled with sweet, juicy cherries. It’s the perfect baked good to celebrate cherry season and enjoy all summer long. Cherry Cake from Eastern France Cherry cakes are immensely popular in Eastern France, including Alsace and its Vosges Mountains. The area is renowned for its cherry production and cherry desserts hold a pride of place in the region’s baking repertoire – specifically…
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 40 min
- Yield
- 8 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature, yolks and whites separated
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ cups (150g) sugar
- 6 tbsp (3/4 stick or 85g) butter, melted and cooled
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (110g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 cup (about 225g cherries), pitted
- 2 tbsp (25g) sugar
Instructions
- 1
Pre-heat your oven to 350°F (180°C) with a rack in the middle. Grease an 8” or 9” circular springform pan with butter and dust with flour. Set aside.
- 2
Step 1 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar with the egg yolks, until pale and foamy. While whisking, pour in the (cooled) melted butter and vanilla extract.
- 3
Step 2 - In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and whisk until just incorporated.
- 4
Step 3 - In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites and ¼ tsp salt to a stiff peak. With a spatula, fold about ¼ or less of the egg whites into batter just to loosen it. Fold gently and stop mixing when just uniform. In three or four more additions, fold in the rest of the egg whites. The batter should be airy.
- 5
Step 4 - Pour the batter into prepared cake pan. Drop the cherries atop, evenly spaced out. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar evenly over top.
- 6
Bake for about 40 minutes, until the cake looks golden and puffy. Transfer onto a cooling rack. Let cool at least 15 minutes and remove from the pan.