This homemade Vintage Cherry Chip Layer Cake made from scratch is bursting with sweet cherry flavor and tinted the perfect shade of pink from nothing other than the maraschino cherry juice from the jar!
Chopped up maraschino cherries are folded into the batter to make sure the cherry flavor really comes through in this super fun, moist Vintage Cherry Chip Layer Cake that is perfect for almost any celebration!
Today is House of Nash Eats blogiversary!! And what better way to celebrate than with a tall, beautiful, three-layer birthday cake? Specifically, this homemade Cherry Chip Layer Cake made from scratch and topped with bright, beautiful maraschino cherries! Is it retro-modern? Is it vintage? Idk, but it’s definitely delicious.
I can hardly believe it’s been a year since I posted a delicious Blackberry Nectarine Crumble as my first post here on House of Nash Eats. Over the past year I have posted 128 recipes! If you want to see them all, you can click on the “Recipes” tab at the top of this page, or just head to my recipe archives by clicking here. My three most popular posts by page views to date have been my Oven Roasted Asparagus with Garlic, Parmesan, & Lemon, my Dark Chocolate Halloween Chip Cookies, and my Bombay House Style Chicken Tikka Masala. If you haven’t tried them yet, definitely check them out!
But let’s talk more about this cake. This cake makes you time travel. There is just something about the pretty pink chiffon color and maraschino cherries that make me think of frothy 1950’s prom dresses or something. It fills me with nostalgia for times I don’t even remember.
And you just can’t eat a slice of this perfectly pink cake with lovely, fun cherry flavor and bits of maraschino cherry throughout and feel anything other than happy. It makes you feel like a kid again and like you don’t have a care in the world because you are eating cherry chip cake, of all things! It’s seriously bliss on a plate and I’m in love.
Better cake decoraters than myself would have perfectly smooth sides and a top, but honestly, I’m kind of loving my less than perfect approach to the frosting here because to me, this looks totally doable. Because it is. This is how I decorate most of my cakes, like my favorite Devil’s Food Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.
Maybe one of these days I’ll get some equipment like a rotating cake stand and offset spatula to help me with improve my technique, but for now I just use a butter knife to frost the top and sides and a random cake tip that is floating around in a drawer in my kitchen to create the little rosettes/swirls/whatever they around the top edge of the cake. The gorgeous, bright maraschino cherries on top of the cake make up for a lot of my shortcoming when it comes to decorating anyway, I think.
I remember eating cherry chip cake from a Betty Crocker cake mix as a kid, although it seems like it was always overshadowed by the flashier Funfetti mix. But I have to say that a boxed cherry chip cake has got nothing on this from scratch version. Each bite of this homemade vintage cherry chip layer cake bursts with sweet cherry flavor and is tinted the perfect shade of pink from the maraschino cherry juice from the jar. Lots of chopped up maraschino cherries are folded into the batter to make sure the cherry flavor really comes through and I love the tiny bit of texture that they add to the super moist, perfect cake.
I made this vintage cherry chip layer cake for Clara’s 5th birthday after receiving multiple requests from her for a cherry cake with jarred maraschino cherries and not fresh cherries or pie cherries (like in my Aunt Becky’s Black Forest Cake). After singing her the happy birthday song, Clara promptly blew out her candles and started plucking off every cherry from the top of the cake and popping them in her little mouth before I could even get the cake sliced! Fortunately all our guests that year were older cousins, grandparents, and other family members who were cool with that.
Cake Baking Tip: Alternating Wet and Dry Ingredients
Lots of cake recipes (this one included) have you to add the wet ingredients like eggs and milk or water or buttermilk and oil (um, basically anything wet) and dry ingredients (typically just the flour and leavening agents like baking soda or baking powder and salt) to the creamed butter and sugar in alternating batches, usually 1/3 to 1/2 of each at a time. Then you mix well between each addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go. And there’s a good reason for this seemingly fussy extra task.
Adding all the wet ingredients at once can make the batter to separate because it overwhelms the butter and sugar that you just creamed together. And if you add all of the dry ingredients at once, your batter is likely going to be really thick and the chance that you will over mix the batter go way up, which ultimately results in a tougher cake without the moist, tender crumb that you want in a layer cake.
Instead of dumping all the wet and dry ingredients in at once, it’s best to add them alternately, in two or three additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and stirring only until just combined each time.
To everyone who reads this blog of mine, I just want to say thank you for your support and encouragement during this first year of House of Nash Eats! I love hearing from you whenever you try a recipe I have posted or when you think of something I should post but haven’t yet! I read every blog comment and Facebook or Instagram message and try to incorporate the feedback I am getting from you.
I am excited about all the great recipes I plan to bring you in the next year of House of Nash Eats and hope you continue to follow along! Now who’s ready to make this vintage cherry chip layer cake?!
XOXO,
Amy
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup salted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 1 egg
- 4 egg whites
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup maraschino cherry juice
- 3/4 cup chopped maraschino cherries
- 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups shortening
- 12 cups powdered sugar
- 5-6 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
- Additional maraschino cherries with stems for decorating
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Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare three 8-inch round cake pans by lining the bottoms with circles of parchment paper and spraying the sides with cooking spray.
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In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Add the vanilla and sour cream and mix well to combine.
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Add the egg and egg whites in two batches, scraping the sides of the bowl and mixing well between each addition.
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In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the maraschino cherry juice and milk, starting with 1/3 of the dry ingredients, then adding half of the juice and milk, then repeating with another 1/3 of the dry ingredients, followed by the remaining juice and milk, and ending with the final 1/3 of the dry ingredients. Be sure to scrape the bowl between additions, and only mix just until everything is combined without overmixing.
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Stir in the chopped maraschino cherries.
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Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans, then bake for 24 to 26 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cakes comes out with only a few crumbs.
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Cool completely on a wire rack.
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In a large bowl, combine the butter and shortening and beat on medium speed until smooth.
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Add 4 cups of the powdered sugar and beat well until smooth. Add 3 tablespoons of the maraschino cherry juice and beat again to completely incorporate.
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Repeat with another 4 cups of the powdered sugar, followed by 2 tablespoons of maraschino cherry juice, mixing well between additions.
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Add remaining 4 cups of powdered sugar and mix until smooth, adding an additional tablespoon of cherry juice, if necessary, to make a thick frosting that is just slightly sticky to the touch.
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Level each cooled cake round by slicing off any domed tops.
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Place the bottom layer of cake on a cake plate and carefully spread 1 1/2 cups of the frosting over it in an even layer. Repeat with the second layer of cake and another 1 1/2 cups of frosting.
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Top with the remaining cake layer and frost the top and sides of the cake with most of the remaining frosting, reserving about 1 cup for piping onto the top of the cake. Decorate with extra maraschino cherries with stems, then slice and serve!
Adapted from Life, Love, and Sugar.
I'm Amy: former lawyer, now SAHM in the CA Bay Area. I love food, photography, books, travel, exercise, adoption and pie. Definitely pie. 
Such a pretty cake! Looks delish too!
This is such a lovely cake! Would be perfect for spring or summer parties!!
This is PERFECTION! Loving the revival of an old fashioned favorite!
Could this be cooked as cupcakes? The cake is amazing but way too much for me to eat alone. Cupcakes could be taken to work and shared. Thanks for the amazing recipes!
I’m sure it could, although I have honestly never tried it. I would fill each cup 2/3 full and try baking them for about 18 minutes. Will have to try soon and let you know for sure, or if you do it, I would love it if you let me know how they turned out in cupcake form!
I made this recipe as cupcakes and it was awesome! Everyone loved it. The texture of the cake was perfect and the pink from the cherries was so pretty and delicate. Of course the recipe for the frosting was too much for cupcakes so this time i will half it and i did add a bit of almond extract. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
I’m so glad everybody loved this recipe made into cupcakes! I still haven’t tried it that way but I’m thinking about it for Valentine’s Day!
Beautiful cake and what a great way to celebrate your bloversary. Actually I lake it better when it is not perfect, homemade cakes are much better than store bought so imperfection in look to me means perfection in taste. I will try this for my birthday.
Thanks so much! I am with you on preferring “imperfect” homemade cakes to store bought ones!
I am sad to say I made this cake and it didn’t turn out at all. Followed the recipe exactly.
Oh no! I’m so sorry! I wonder what could have happened because I’ve made this lots of times and had others make it without any trouble! Do you think it was the frosting or the cake that was most problematic?
How do you’ store this cake?
I just cover it loosely with plastic wrap and store it on the counter on a cake stand, unless I don’t think it will all be eaten in a day or two, in which case I would store it in the fridge.
I just used this to make the big sized cupcakes and got 14 out of the batter. They turned out great! My coworker loves cherry chip but you can’t find the mix anymore but he loved this recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Yes, cherry chip is classic and one of my favorites too but it can be hard to find, if they even still make it. But I would argue that homemade is better anyway. 🙂
The cake recipe calls for “salted” butter – is this correct for a sweet cake? Just wondering if it meant to be written as “unslated”. I am making this for my daughter’s 18th birthday this weekend and want it to turn out perfectly!
Actually, I really do think salted butter is the right choice for this cake because it doesn’t call for any other salt in the recipe. Just a little bit of salt actually can bring out the sweetness of other ingredients. If you only have unsalted butter, you could absolutely use that – I would just add 1/4 teaspoon of salt. I hope your daughter has a wonderful birthday!
JUST MAKE THIS CHERRY CHIP RECIPE INTO CUPCAKES….”WOW” AMAZING!!! 23 CUPCAKES AT 350* FOR 20 MIN.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE RECIPE….THIS IS A KEEPER!!!!
I’m so glad you love this recipe! Cupcakes are a great idea and so much fun!
SORRY MEANT….JUST MADE!
Hi Amy just wondered if the cherry taste deepens in your Cherry chip cake recipe. I tasted the batter before baking but felt it seemed a very mild flavor of cherry.
Hi Cathy! I would say that the flavor deepens a little bit as the cake cools, but much of that comes from the actual chopped cherries themselves. I think if you wanted an even more intense cherry flavor, you would have to look at reducing cherry sauce or looking for cherry extract or something to intensify the flavor. But let me know what you think once your cake is done!
I am headed in to make this/halving the recipe…and I don’t buy the heavy sugared jarred maraschinos : ) …I have frozen and plan to simmer them a wee bit to extract some juice and dry back the moisture content. It won’t be the same…as those jarred ones are simply divine. As a kid I could inhale them. Think I will need to up my golden coconut sugar measurement for the sweetener I will be missing not using the Maraschinos. And Amy, I wanted to write to encourage you to consider using Almond extract instead or pared with vanilla. Almond intensifies cherry flavor and I think it would really shine in this recipe. Worth a second look I assure you. Thanks for the recipe. Sorry my pantry contents and I are going to butcher such a beauty! But when it has good solid base such as yours there is room to tweak! : ) Sorry no stars yet…haven’t made it.
Thank you so much for your comment! Almond and cherry really do go beautifully together, don’t they? I think your ideas sound great and would love to hear how yours turns out!
Made this cake tonight and followed the recipe with no changes. We were very disappointed in the the flavor and texture of both the cake and the frosting. The cherry flavor really didn’t seem to come through which is odd because it really smelled so good coming out of the oven. The frosting again seemed weak on flavor and you could really taste the powdered sugar and shortening. It does make a pretty cake when it is all done but flavor is always most important.
I’m sorry this wasn’t to your tastes but thanks for the feedback.
Do you think it’d be fine if used only butter and no shortening in the frosting? I find that frostings with shortening leave a weird film in my mouth
You could absolutely use butter. The main reason for using shortening is because it allows the cherry flavor to shine through a bit more than butter, but butter would definitely work if you don’t like to use shortening. 🙂
Looks, smells, and tastes beautiful! One problem though, I reduced the frosting recipe to 2/3 due to my limits of butter and shortening, and the frosting turned out so dry that it could barely take hold on the cake. What could I do to fix this?
If the frosting is too dry, add more cherry juice, a little at a time, to get it to a consistency that you like. And if you run out of cherry juice, you can just use milk instead.
Hi Amy!
I am going to try this recipe for a wedding. Do you think it would yield a half sheet cake or a full sheet?
Can’t wait!
I wish I could tell you for sure but I have never made this as a sheet cake before! My guess is a half sheet though. You could always do the half and use any extra for a few cupcakes!
Could I sub Cake Flour for AP, and would that make for a lighter crumb to the cake?
I haven’t tried it since I don’t usually keep cake flour on hand, but I’m sure it would work. Let me know if you give it a go!
Delicious recipe!
For anyone who’s wondering, I substituted the flour with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten free baking flour. Kept everything else the same except added a little almond extract because it’s my fave. It all tastes delicious, but just comes out a little dense and heavy. I don’t see this as a bad thing but if you like fluffy cake and you need it to be gluten free, don’t use 1-to-1 or maybe find a way to alter the recipe a bit to get more rise.
Thanks for the info! I’ve used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten free flour before in cookies and bars with great results but haven’t tried it in a cake yet. This is really helpful feedback and I’m glad you liked the cake!
How can I alter the recipe for 3 nine inch round pans? I still want the layers to be thick enough. Was thinking maybe double it and make the extras into cupcakes…
But if that’s the case then about how far up the cake pans should I pour the batter?
I would just make 1 1/2 and divide evenly between the three pans. But if you want to have enough for cupcakes, I would say to fill the pans about 1/3 full.
I’m going to try making for the 50th birthday of someone who loves cherry but hates chunks. Do the chopped up cherries end up feeling chunky in the cake
TIA
If you chop them fine, then they won’t end up feeling chunky.
I haven’t made yet but was wondering if you Can you make this as a Bundt cake
I haven’t tried it, but I’ll bet it would work! I need to make more Bundt cakes – I don’t have a single one on the blog yet!