Cherry Loaf Cake

Name: Cherry Loaf Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 65 min
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour (weighed in grams or spooned and leveled); ¾ cup granulated sugar; 2 teaspoons baking powder; ½ teaspoon salt; 1 cup cherries (fresh or frozen, pitted and cut in half); 2 large eggs (room temperature); ¾ cup Lifeway Organic Black Cherry Whole Milk Kefir (room temperature); ½ cup vegetable oil; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 tablespoons cherry preserves (optional, for topping)

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This easy Cherry Loaf Cake is a moist vanilla cherry cake filled with fresh or frozen cherries and baked in a loaf pan. It's super simple to make and is perfect for dessert (topped with icing) or breakfast (as is) with your favorite cup of coffee!

A cherry loaf cake with a slice cut off of the end.

If you are a fan of cherries, you will love this easy cake that is packed with flavor from fresh cherries, Lifeway Black Cherry Kefir, and cherry preserves swirled on top. It's a quick bread that come together in minutes, like my white chocolate raspberry cake, making a gorgeous and simple cherry cake loaf.

This recipe is sponsored by Lifeway Kefir. Their black cherry kefir is a brand new addition to their organic whole milk kefirs, which are all 99% lactose-free, gluten-free, and full of probiotics! This new cherry flavor is one of my favorites to drink on its own and it's so delicious in this cherry cake!

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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Ingredients
Substitutions & Variations
How to Make a Cherry Loaf Cake
Expert Baking Tips
Recipe FAQs
Storage
More Recipes You'll Love
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Why You'll Love This Recipe

Simple cherry cake recipe with only 10 ingredients and 4 steps!
Moist loaf cake swirled with bursts of your favorite cherries! Bing cherries, Black cherries, Rainier cherries, you name it! You could even use Maraschino cherries, like in my cherry ice cream recipe, if you'd like!
Triple cherry flavor from sliced cherries, black cherry kefir, and cherry preserves.
Use fresh or frozen fruit to make this cake all year long!
This cake freezes incredibly well, so make this when fresh cherries are in season and enjoy later on.

Ingredients

Fresh or frozen pitted cherries are sliced in half to make sure every bite of fresh cherry cake has fruit in it. If using frozen cherries (whole and pitted), do not thaw them, just cut them with a sharp knife while frozen.
Baking powder helps the loaf cake rise.
Lifeway Organic Black Cherry Whole Milk Kefir adds amazing flavor and extra moisture. If you're looking for it at the grocery store, check the refrigerated dairy aisle!
Vegetable oil keeps this cake moist for days without adding any competing flavor.
Store-bought or homemade cherry preserves can be swirled on top of the cake before baking for extra cherry flavor and a pretty top to the cake.

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Substitutions & Variations

Try a combination of my almond loaf cake and this by adding ¼ - ½ teaspoon of almond extract to the batter and sprinkling sliced almonds on top before baking!
Drizzle your favorite icing on top for extra sweetness.
If you can't find any of Lifeway's Black Cherry Kefir, feel free to substitute it with their plain whole milk kefir or buttermilk.

This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!

How to Make a Cherry Loaf Cake

Halved cherries in a bowl of flour mixture.

Step 1: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the sliced cherries and toss to coat.

Whisking eggs, vegetable oil, cherry kefir, and vanilla extract together in a bowl.

Step 2: In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, cherry kefir, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract together.

Cherry cake batter in a bowl with a spatula.

Step 3: Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.

Cherry cake batter in a loaf pan with cherry preserves swirled on top.

Step 4: Fill a parchment-lined loaf pan with the cake batter, and swirl the cherry preserves on top if using. Bake at 350°F until a toothpick comes out of the center clean.

Expert Baking Tips

Don't overmix the batter. Folding the wet and dry ingredients together until just combined will help keep your cake from getting tough.
Use a scale to measure your ingredients. This is much more precise and will help guarantee better results.
Create a parchment paper sling by leaving a 2-3 inch overhang on the long sides of the loaf pan to help remove the cake easily after baking.

Recipe FAQs

What kind of cherries are best to use?

Fresh or frozen cherries work well in this cake. Use whatever cherries are in season, or you can use frozen cherries, just make sure not to thaw them or the juice will bleed into the batter. Also, make sure the cherries do not have pits!

What size loaf pan should I use?

A 9x5 inch loaf pan is best, but a standard 8.5x4.5 inch (1 pound) loaf pan should work as well.

Can I bake this batter in a muffin pan?

I haven't tried this, but it should bake well in a muffin tin. Muffins will bake for a shorter time, so keep an eye on them around 15 minutes or so.

Where can I find Lifeway Kefir?

You can find it at lifewaykefir.com or in the dairy section of many grocery and convenience stores. If you can't find the black cherry flavor, feel free to use plain or vanilla instead!

A cherry cake cut into slices next to a bottle of Lifeway Black Cherry Kefir.

Storage

Room Temperature

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Freezing Instructions

Freeze fully cooled and sliced cherry loaf cake in a container for up to 2 months. I recommend wrapping each slice individually before storing them in a freezer-safe bag.