Another very popular treat at this time of the year is the “Cherry Cake”. A moist, dense pound cake with glacé cherries and flavoured with almond extract, this treat is a universal Christmas favourite in almost every Newfoundland household I know.
I can’t tell you how many different recipes I’ve tried over the years for Newfoundland Cherry Cake; recipes that use cake flour, recipes that use regular flour
Newfoundland Style Cherry Cake – a traditional Christmas favorite
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 30 mins
Newfoundland Cherry Cake is a big local favourite especially during the Holidays. The secret in this recipe is undiluted evaporated milk for added richness.
Course: Cake
Servings: 32 Servings (1 large cake or 2 smaller 8x4 inch loaves)
Calories: 222 kcal
Ingredients
1 pound chopped glace cherries + 1/4 cup flour
1 ½ cups butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp almond extract
3 cups flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 cup lukewarm undiluted evaporated milk
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
Rinse the cherries in a colander to remove any syrup that they may have been stored in. Pat them day between layers of paper towels.This step helps prevent the cherries sinking into the batter as well. Depending on their size, cut them into halves or quarters and set aside for later. They will get tossed in 1/4 cup of flour later but not until just before they are folded into the batter.
Cream together the butter and sugar well.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition until light and fluffy.
Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts.
Sift together the 3 cups of flour and baking powder.
Fold dry ingredients into the creamed mixture alternately with the lukewarm milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. As a general rule, I add the dry ingredients in 3 portions and the milk in 2 portions.
Fold in the chopped glace cherries that have been tossed at the last minute in the 1/4 cup flour.
Bake in greased and floured spring form pan, tube pan or 2 loaf pans, lined with parchment paper. Bake at 325 degrees F for 45 minutes - 1 hour depending upon the size of your pan.
Baking times vary greatly on this recipe so rely on the toothpick test to ensure that it is properly baked. When a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, its done. Be careful not to go past this stage or the cake will be dry.
Let the cake cool in the pan/s for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.