Just look at this treat! It looks like it popped out of a storybook and onto your table. Good thing the Cherry Chip Cake tastes like a fairy tale as well! The cake is fluffy, tender, and infused with the sweetness and delightful tartness of cherries, with a hint of vanilla to enhance the flavor. The frosting is buttery and enchanted with even more cherry flavor, giving everything that gentle, tickle-me-delighted pink that will bewitch the eyes and the tastebuds equally. Cherry Chip Cake even has cherry pieces sprinkled throughout so you never miss out on their gorgeous summery flavor. This is the kind of treat that will have people swooning!
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 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 maraschino cherries, chopped
For the frosting:
- 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
- 12 cups powdered sugar
- 5-6 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
- maraschino cherries, optional, whole (with stems), for decorating
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2 –Prepare three 8-inch round cake pans by lining the bottoms with parchment paper and spraying the sides and bottoms with cooking spray.
Step 3 –In a large bowl using a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the granulated sugar and 3/4 cup of salted butter together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes.
Step 4 –Add the vanilla and the sour cream and mix well to combine.
Step 5 –In two batches, add the egg and the egg whites, scraping the sides of the bowl and mixing well between each addition.
Step 6 –In a separate bowl, combine the flour and the baking powder together.
Step 7 –Add 1/3 of the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Then add 1/2 of the milk and 1/2 of the cherry juice, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition and mixing until everything is just combined. Repeat the additions, in that order. You should finish with the last 1/3 of the flour mixture, being careful not to over-mix.
Step 8 –Stir in 3/4 cup of cherries.
Step 9 –Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans.
Step 10 –Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of each of the cakes comes out with only a few crumbs clinging to it, about 24-26 minutes.
Step 11 –Allow the cakes to cool completely on a wire rack in the pans.
Step 12 –In a large bowl using a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the remaining butter on medium speed until smooth.
Step 13 –Add 4 cups of the powdered sugar and beat well until smooth.
Step 14 –Add 3 tablespoons of the cherry juice and beat together to incorporate.
Step 15 –Add 4 cups of the powdered sugar, mixing well.
Step 16 –Add 2 tablespoons of the cherry juice, mixing well.
Step 17 –Add the remaining powdered sugar, mixing well.
Step 18 –Add the remaining cherry juice, mixing well. The frosting should be thick and slightly sticky to the touch.
Step 19 –Level the cooled cakes by slicing off the domed tops. Place 1 of the leveled cakes on a cake plate. Spread about 1 1/2 cups of frosting over the cake in an even layer.
Step 20 –Repeat with the second cake and 1 1/2 cups of the frosting, stacking it on top of the first cake. Place the remaining cake on top.
Step 21 –Reserve 1 cup of the remaining frosting for decorating, using the remainder to cover the top and the sides of the cake.
Step 22 –Decorate the cake with the reserved frosting and the whole cherries.
Step 23 –Serve.