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This Cherry Christmas Cake is simple to make, comes together quickly and really tastes like Christmas! Thankfully, frozen cherries are available year round and it’s just such a treat to have a cherry cake in December! I served a slice to my little niece and she found me after she was done to say, “this is the best cake in the whole world!” – in her sweetest 5-year old voice. I about melted.
This is why I will continue to make cakes for my family. It’s such an amazing feeling to watch my nieces, nephews and my own kiddos eyes light up. One of my baby girl’s first words were “cake” (true story). The littles have come to expect my Sunday cakes so if I don’t make one, they’re instantly disappointed and I just can’t have that!
I’m ridiculous about Christmas and pretty much beside myself when we hit December! I’ll be the old lady who’s house is so decorated, you might have a hard time getting through the door!
It’s snowing outside as I type, there’s sweet Christmas music playing in the next room, and the birds are perched in a tree outside my window with snow flurries all over the place. So beautiful! Makes me want a mug of coffee and a slice of cake actually! I hope you love this Cherry Christmas Cake! It’s quite a treat :).
Ingredients for Cherries in Syrup:
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 tsp corn starch
1 lb (4 cups) frozen sweet cherries
Ingredients for Sponge Cake:
3 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour *measured correctly
1/4 tsp baking powder
Ingredients for Frosting:
3/4 cup (6 oz) cold heavy whipping cream
6 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Ingredients for Toppings/Decor:
Shaved chocolate
Maraschino cherries
Green gel food coloring
Wilton 67 frosting tip and 10″ Atteco piping bag
Make the Cherries in Sauce First:
1. In a medium saucepan, stir together 1/4 cup water, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 2 Tbsp sugar and 2 tsp cornstarch and place over medium heat, whisking constantly. As soon as it starts to thicken, add 4 cups frozen cherries and cook until lightly boiling, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
How to Make the Sponge Cake:
1. Line bottom of 9″ cake pan or springform pan with parchment paper (do not butter the pan). In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat 3 eggs for 1 minute on high speed until foamy. With mixer on, gradually add 1/2 cup sugar and beat together 7 to 8 min on high speed or until a thick ribbon forms when you lift up the batter (if using electric hand mixer, add 2 minutes to mixing time).
2. Whisk together 1/2 cup flour and 1/4 tsp baking powder then sift them in two increments, folding gently into egg mixture with a spatula. Fold just until flour is incorporated without streaks of flour, scraping from the bottom of the bowl to make sure you don’t miss any pockets of flour.
3. Transfer batter to pan and bake at 350˚F for 25 min. Cool 5 min then run thin spatula around the edges to loosen from pan, transfer to a wire rack and peel back the parchment paper. Let cake cool completely to room temperature.
How to Make the Frosting:
1. Beat cold heavy cream until whipped and spreadable – transfer to medium bowl. In same stand mixer (no need to wash it), beat together 6 oz softened cream cheese with 1/2 cup sugar until fluffy and whipped (2 minutes on high speed). Use a spatula to fold in whipped cream until well blended. Reserve 1/4 cup cream and tint with green food coloring then transfer it to a small piping bag fitted with Wilton 67 frosting tip to make leaves on top later.
Assembling the Cherry Christmas Cake:
1. Place cooled cake on serving platter and poke all over the top with a fork. Top with cooled cherries and let it rest 5 minutes for the cake to absorb some of the syrup. Spread frosting over the top, top with grated chocolate. Pipe holly leaves onto the cake and top with maraschino cherries.
Do you have any special pre-Christmas food traditions? Let me know in a comment below! I’m always looking to try something new 🙂
Cherry Christmas Cake
Ingredients
For the Cherries in Syrup:
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp corn starch
- 1 lb 4 cups frozen sweet cherries
For the Sponge Cake:
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
For the Frosting:
- 3/4 cup 6 oz cold heavy whipping cream
- 6 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Toppings/ Decor:
- Shaved chocolate
- Maraschino cherries
- Green gel food coloring
- Wilton 67 frosting tip and 10" Ateco piping bag
Instructions
Make the Cherries in Sauce First:
- In medium saucepan, combine 1/4 cup water, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 2 Tbsp sugar and 2 tsp cornstarch. Place over medium heat, whisking constantly. As soon as it starts to thicken, add 4 cups frozen cherries and cook until lightly boiling, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool.
How to Make the Sponge Cake:
- Line bottom of 9" cake pan or springform pan with parchment paper (do not butter pan). In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk, beat 3 eggs for 1 min on high speed until foamy. With mixer on, gradually add 1/2 cup sugar and beat 7 to 8 min on high speed or until a thick ribbon forms when you lift up the batter (if using electric hand mixer, add 2 min to mixing time).
- Whisk together 1/2 cup flour and 1/4 tsp baking powder then sift them in two increments, folding gently into egg mixture with spatula. Fold just until flour is incorporated without streaks of flour, scraping from bottom of bowl to catch any pockets of flour.
- Transfer batter to pan and bake at 350˚F for 25 min. Cool 5 min then run thin spatula around the edges to loosen from pan, transfer to wire rack, peel back parchment paper and cool cake to room temperature.
How to Make Frosting:
- Beat cold heavy cream until whipped and spreadable (approx 2 min) - transfer to medium bowl. In same stand mixer (no need to wash it), beat 6 oz softened cream cheese with 1/2 cup sugar until fluffy and whipped (2 minutes on high speed). Use spatula to fold in whipped cream until well blended. Reserve 1/4 cup cream and tint with green food coloring then transfer it to a small piping bag fitted with Wilton 67 frosting tip to make leaves on top later.
Assembling the Cherry Christmas Cake:
- Place cooled cake on serving platter and poke all over the top with fork. Top with cooled cherries and let rest 5 min for the cake to absorb some syrup. Spread frosting over the top, top with grated chocolate. Pipe holly leaves and top with maraschino cherries.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Do you have any special pre-Christmas food traditions? Let me know in a comment below! I’m always looking to try something new 🙂
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Hello! I wonder if I could used a canned cherry pie filling for the fruit layer? Thanks!
Hi Amy! You can if you prefer. It won’t be quite the same since the canned filling is thicker than the homemade cherry sauce so the cake sponge won’t have quite as much syrup to absorb.
Hi could I make this with two layers? I made a vanilla sponge cake and had two and was wondering if I did two layers should I put cherry on both layers?
Hi Patricia, I do think that would work to have a 2-layer cake using this sponge cake recipe with the cherries in the center and frosting on top (you may have enough frosting there to even cover the top and sides if you wanted to fully cover with frosting). If you make it that way, I would love to see your creation! 🙂 Tag me and let me know so I can see it 🙂
Hi Natasha,
My family love this Christmas Cherry Cake. This will be my third Christmas making this cake. Last year I made it twice during the holiday. It is just an easy recipe and so delicious.
I got your cookbook and absolutely love it. Thank you!
I’m so happy you love this Christmas cake, Karen! Thank you so much for the fantastic review and your encouraging words. I am smiling big reading your comment. Merry Christmas!
Hi Natasha…I made thus last week for my tea group. It eas a big hit! I want to make it again for Christmas…can I make the spong cake ahead & freeze, then assemble the day I’m going to serve it? Thank you
Hi Joanne! I’m so glad it was a hit! The cake sponge can be made ahead of time. They can be stored covered, at room temperature for 1-2 days or refrigerate/freeze for longer storing.
It would be fine to assemble the day of.
Hi Natasha,
After you assemble the cake, do you put it in the fridge or you can leave it on the countertop, we will be eating it the same day..
Thank you
Hi Christine! Because of the whipped cream
and cream cheese, the cake needs to be refrigerated. It can be out of the refrigerator for no longer than 2hrs.
Hi Natasha, I am making this cake for Christmas day, do I make it day off and after assembling the cake do I keep it outside room temperature or put it in the fridge?
Thank you
Hi Christine, this cake does hold up pretty well when covered and refrigerated overnight, make sure its properly wrapped though so it doesn’t dry out.
Can I use a different frosting. My family don’t like cream cheese? How about buttercream?
Hi Sheila, it really depends. I think that will work but I really can’t tell unless I personally try it.
I made this for Christmas dinner and I was so disappointed. It may have been my fault. I followed the directions exactly but we waited overnight to assemble the cake. The cake part turned out very dry and dense. Was that the problem that I didn’t assemble it immediately? The whipped cream and the cherry part were delicious.
Hi Patricia, could the cake have been overcooked? If the cake is left out overnight without being fully wrapped in plastic wrap, it can get dried out so that definitely could be the reason. Also, the syrup from the cherries will help soften up the cake since it is a sponge cake and it relies on syrups to become moist.