Cherry Cake with Almond Icing
Cherry cake with almond icing is the easiest way to upgrade a boxed cake mix with a can of cherry pie filling! Smooth over that creamy layer of almond icing on top and garnish with maraschino cherries for a pretty potluck party dessert.
Whipped cream and cherries made everything taste better when I was a kid so there's something just so pretty and sweet about a pink cherry cake with bright white almond icing smoothed over and elegantly curved maraschino cherries dotting the top.
If I spotted this on a potluck party dessert table I just might swoon. It's a perfect dessert to bring since it can be made ahead and is travel friendly in its 9x13-inch cake pan.
You'll have the entire cherry cake ready to go in no time at all because this easy recipe starts with a box of cake mix and a can of cherry pie filling!
Why This is the Best Recipe
I love easy party desserts but I think this is the best cherry cake recipe because:
- Boxed Cake Mix & Cherry Pie Filling: I actually had these hiding in my pantry and didn't even need to run to the store. The pie filling helps keep the cake nice and moist and I love the bites of cherry bits hiding inside.
- Almond Flavor: I love cherries and almonds together. You'll find this combo in my cherry almond coffee cake, my infamous fresh cherry crisp, and these almond cherry scones, too.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: Even beginner bakers will have this easy recipe baked up in no time but you can chill it in the fridge or even freeze it to get a jump start on the holiday baking.
Ingredients
This simple cake starts with easy pantry ingredients:
- Boxed Cake Mix: I used a box of vanilla cake mix. You could use white cake if you prefer. You will not need the ingredients the box tells you to use for the cake batter, just use what is in my recipe card alone.
- Cherry Pie Filling: You could use your own from-scratch cherry pie filling if you feel like making it, but this was so easy to just buy a can at the store.
- Baking Powder
- Eggs
- Almond Extract
- Vanilla Extract
For the almond icing, you will also need:
- Butter
- Milk
- Almond Extract
- Kosher Salt
Prep the Cake Batter
Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set it aside. You could bake this in 2 round cake pans if you prefer, but I'm going to show you a simple sheet cake for now.
Place the boxed cake mix in a large mixing bowl and add the baking powder. Whisk them together real quick.
Then, remove 1/3 cup of cherry pie filling from the canned cherries. You don't want the ratio of dry ingredients to pie filling to be too wet. But don't worry, this scoop won't go to waste. Set it aside for now.
Then add the remaining cherry pie filling, eggs, vanilla, and almond extracts to the cake mix.
Use a hand mixer to combine the ingredients on LOW speed until they are smooth. Then increase the speed to MEDIUM-HIGH to really whip the batter and break up the cherries.
I love my stand mixer, but a hand mixer really is the best tool for this job.
Assemble the Cake
When the batter is ready, pour about half of it into your prepared cake pan. Smooth it out into a nice even layer reaching into all the corners.
Then spoon that remaining cup of cherry pie filling evenly over the cake batter. These whole cherries and little drizzles of cherry sauce will bake into "surprise cherry bites" throughout the cake. I love them!
Scrape the remaining half of cake batter carefully over the top and smooth it out into an even layer. Now it's time to bake the cake!
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Baking Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Bake the cherry cake for 40 - 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Just be sure you didn't poke one of the surprise cherries hidden inside.
Set the cake aside to cool completely before you frost it or the icing will just melt over the top.
Prep the Almond Icing
I love my almond icing recipe so much, I shared it as a stand-alone frosting recipe with its own step-by-step photos and recipe card. You may find that you want to use it on other flavors of cake mix, too.
You can get the printable almond icing recipe card here but don't worry. All the steps you need to make it are also in the cherry cake recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Drain the Maraschino Cherries
The almond icing will set pretty quickly once you spread it over your cooled cherry cake so it is important to drain your maraschino cherries before you spread the icing.
Line a plate with paper towels and use a fork to transfer the cherries from the cherry jar.
Otherwise, those bright red cherry juices will run all over your pretty white icing and make a mess.
Decorate the Cake
Once you've spread the icing over the top of the cake, place the stemmed maraschino cherries in neat rows of 3 x 4 across the top of the cake. This will mark the 12 serving slices you could cut.
If you plan to serve the cake in smaller pieces, you may want to drain a few more cherries and try a different pattern.
Make Ahead Tips
This is an excellent make ahead dessert for the holidays. Not only can you bake the cake in advance but you can frost it with the icing and chill it.
If you plan to serve it in the next 24 hours, just decorate the cake as directed, cover the cake pan with foil, and keep it chilled in the fridge.
If you want to bake it farther in advance, you could bake and frost it as directed and freeze it but do not try to freeze the maraschino cherry garnish. Their juices will seep all over the cake when it thaws. Simply add those just before serving.
Variations
Chocolate Cherry Cake: Make a batch of my chocolate cream cheese frosting and decorate with maraschino cherries on top.
Cherry Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting: Skip the almond icing and make my easy cream cheese frosting instead. You could add the 1/3 cup of reserved cherry pie filling to the frosting to turn it pink and cherry-flavored if you don't want to add it into the cake batter.
Layered Cherry Cake: This would be a stunning "naked cake" or fully frosted 2-layer cake. You could bake the cake batter in two round cake pans. Save that 1/3 cup of cherry pie filling to make a cherry filling between the layers.
Cherry Almond Cake: If there isn't enough almond flavor for you here, you could add toasted almonds on top of the frosting as a garnish or chop them up and stir them into the cake batter for a little crunch.
Serving Suggestions
I was inspired to bake this quick and easy cherry cake for a book club meeting because "iced cherry cake" was part of a pivotal romantic moment in the story we read. It would be a very fun treat to share during the meeting when you discuss The Highland Fling.
The pretty pink color and red cherries on top make the dessert picture perfect for a Valentine's Day dessert for the kids or even a sweet Christmas dessert for a potluck party.
Add some blueberries on top and this would be right at home on your 4th of July potluck party table, too.
More Easy Cake Recipes
If you love making easy 9x13-inch sheet cakes, you will also enjoy:
📖 Recipe
Cherry Cake with Almond Icing
Ingredients
For the Cherry Cake
- 1 (13.25 oz) vanilla cake mix just the mix, you do not need the ingredients listed on the back of the package
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 (21 oz) can of cherry pie filling
For the Almond Icing
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- Pinch of kosher salt
For Garnishing
- Stemmed maraschino cherries optional
Instructions
Bake the Cherry Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- Remove just 1/3 cup of cherry pie filling from the can and set aside.
- Add the box of cake mix and the baking powder to a large mixing bowl and whisk them together. Add the eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract, and the remaining cherry pie filling to the bowl. Use a hand mixer to mix them together on low speed. Once combined, increase the speed to medium high and mix for 1 - 2 minutes until creamy.
- Pour half of the batter into your prepared baking dish and spread it into an even layer. Spoon the cherries from the reserved 1/3 cup of cherry pie filling evenly over the layer of batter. These will bake into "surprise" cherry bites when the cake is done. Spread the remaining half of the cake batter over the top.
- Bake the cherry cake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely before adding the icing.
Make the Almond Icing and Decorate
- Melt the butter in the microwave on HIGH. Pour it into a large mixing bowl.
- Add the milk and almond extract and stir them into the butter.
- Add the powdered sugar to the mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer on low speed to blend in the powdered sugar, about 30 seconds. Then increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 1 - 2 minutes or until thick but light and fluffy.
- Add the pinch of kosher salt and beat it in for 5 seconds.
- Spread the almond icing immediately over the cooled cherry cake. Smooth it into a pretty layer and immediately garnish with the stemmed maraschino cherries if using. Once the icing sets, the cherries will not "stick" on top.
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