This is a wonderful coconut and cherry cake, moist and aromatic. You can make it with fresh, canned, or frozen cherries.
Easy to make coconut and cherry cake soaked with liquid heavy cream and melted butter after you bake it, this simple cake is really something special you will love. An easy recipe, ready to serve in about 2 hours, including cooling time.
As soon as the cherries are in season, I get into a cherry-preserving and baking frenzy. The season is short; I only have about two weeks' time and an incredibly huge tree, which is full of fruit most years.
I can cherries in jars or make candied cherries, soak cherries in red wine, and make amaretto cherries, or kirsch cherries. I make cherry syrup, ice lollies, and lots and lots of cakes. You could try the cherry loaf cake or the cherry almond cake, for instance, they are so good!
This cherry and coconut cake was THE cake for my kids this summer. It must be the consistency and the unusual combination of flavors, I rarely combine cherries with coconut, but they really work together very well.
And the consistency... this great cake is really something else. Moist but not really fluffy; it reminds me of biting in a large pancake somehow; it is really good; you definitely have to try it to know what I am talking about.
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Expert Tips
- Use a digital kitchen scale in baking; it is more accurate and ensures the best results (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab).
- You can double the ingredients and bake the cake on a large baking tray of about 35x30 cm/ 14x12 inches; this way, you will have enough for a larger gathering.
- Ensure that the ingredients are at room temperature. This way, they will create a smooth emulsion that traps the air in the batter. This air will expand during baking, making the cherry coconut cake light and fluffy.
- Bake the batter as soon as you finish stirring it. Make sure that the oven is preheated and the pan is prepared. If you leave the batter waiting, the baking powder will lose its power, and the cake will not rise nicely.
- Use a cherry pitter to remove the pits (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab). They are cheap and make pitting a breeze.
- The coconut and cherry cake is a great potluck cake; you can make a large batch, cut it into squares, and transport it easily. It can be eaten from the hand; you will not really need plates and forks, maybe just a small napkin.
Recipe ingredients
Cherries:
- Fresh, frozen, or canned, about 200 g/ 7 oz, that would be about 1 cup of pitted cherries; slightly more or less is fine.
- If using fresh cherries, pit them.
- Defrost frozen cherries and let them drain well.
- Drain canned cherries.
Cake batter:
- Large eggs, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and buttermilk.
- If you don't have buttermilk in the house but still want to bake, mix 175 ml/ 6 fl. oz/ ยพ cup milk with 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar. Stir gently and let sit for 5 minutes. Use as instructed in the recipe.
Topping: Unsweetened desiccated coconut.
Soaking: Unsalted butter and heavy/double cream.
How to make cherry coconut cake?
- Preparations: Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/ 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a springform of about 23-24 cm/ 9-10 inches and sprinkle it with breadcrumbs or flour to coat it all over. Turn it over the sink and pat it on the bottom to remove the excess. Set aside (1).
- You can also line the pan with parchment paper.
- Prepare the cherries. Set aside (2).
- Wet ingredients: Beat the eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, mix the flour and the baking powder. Sieve the flour mixture over the egg mixture and mix in shortly at low speed.
- Add the buttermilk and incorporate it quickly.
- Fill pan: Pour the batter into the prepared pan (1). Add the stoned fruit on top (2). Sprinkle the top of the cherry cake with the coconut (3).
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean (4).
- Soak the cake: During the last 5 minutes of the baking time, heat the butter and the cream in a small saucepan. The butter should be melted, but the mixture should not come to a boil; just heat it up. Remove the cake from the oven and immediately pour the cream mixture all over.
- Let cool for about an hour in the baking dish before transferring it to a wire rack; it needs some time to absorb all the liquid properly.
Recipe FAQ
You can serve the coconut and cherry cake lukewarm after the time it needs to absorb the cream. Or you can serve it at room temperature.
It keeps at room temperature for about 2 days in an airtight container. It will become sturdier, but it will still be delicious and so satisfying to bite into.
Refrigerate in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
Freeze the slices or the cake wrapped in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil. Thaw in the fridge or at room temperature.
Sure. I love the combination of coconut and raspberries or coconut and canned mandarines. You can also use peaches, nectarines, plums, or berries.
More cherry cakes
Recipe
Coconut and Cherry Cake
Ingredients
- 200 g cherries 7 oz/ 1 cup, weighed after pitting, Note 2
- 2 eggs large
- 100 g granulated sugar 3.5 oz/ ยฝ cup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 220 g all-purpose flour 8 oz/ 1 ยพ cup
- 1 ยฝ teaspoons baking powder
- 175 ml buttermilk 6 fl.oz/ ยพ cup, Note 3
- 4-5 tablespoons unsweetened desiccated coconut
- 50 g unsalted butter 2 oz/ ยผ cup
- 100 ml heavy cream 3.5 fl.oz/ scant ยฝ cup
Instructions
- Prepare cherries: If using frozen cherries, defrost and drain them before starting with the cake. Pit the cherries, if fresh or drain them, if canned. Set aside.
- Prepare pan: Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/ 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a springform of about 23-24 cm/ 9-10 inches and sprinkle it with breadcrumbs to coat all over. Turn it over the sink and pat it on the bottom to remove the excess. Set aside.
- Wet ingredients: Beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes at medium speed on a stand mixer or medium-high speed with an electric mixer.
- Dry ingredients: In another bowl, mix the flour and the baking powder. Sieve over the egg mixture. Mix in shortly. Add the buttermilk and incorporate it quickly into the batter.
- Bake: Pour the cake batter into the prepared springform. Add the cherries on top. Sprinkle with the coconut flakes. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
- Soak the cake: During the last 5 minutes of the baking time, heat the butter and the cream in a small saucepan until the butter is melted, don't let come to a boil. Remove the cake from the oven pour the cream mixture evenly all over.
- Cool the coconut cherry cake for about an hour in the baking dish before transferring it to a wire rack, it needs some time to absorb all the liquid properly.
Notes
- Always use aย digital kitchen scaleย in baking (Amazon affiliate link).
- You can use pitted fresh cherries, defrosted and drained frozen cherries, or drained canned cherries.
- If you don't have buttermilk, mix 175 ml/ 6 fl. oz/ ยพ cup milk with 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar and stir gently. Let sit for 5 minutes before adding to the batter.
Lyn Beales says
When do you add the cherries?
Adina says
Sorry Lyn. It is shown in the pictures, but unfortunately I forgot to write it. The cherries are added directly on the batter and sprinkled with the coconut.
grace says
what a DELICIOUS combo, and one i don't really see very often! gorgeous cake!