I have a nostalgic fondness for this yellow slab punctuated by waxy halves of scarlet cherries — the cake we called station cake at home — but this is best with those dark and glossy natural-coloured glace cherries.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
I have a nostalgic fondness for this yellow slab punctuated by waxy halves of scarlet cherries — the cake we called station cake at home — but this is best with those dark and glossy natural-coloured glace cherries.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
Preheat the oven to 170ºC/150°C Fan/gas mark 3/325ºF. Halve the cherries, wash them in a colander under cold water, then pat them dry, toss them in some flour and shake well to get rid of excess.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten eggs and almond essence, then gently fold in the flour and ground almonds. Fold in the cherries and then the milk and spoon the thick mixture into a lined and buttered loaf tin (23 x 13 x 7cm / 9 x 5 x 3 inches) and bake for ¾-1 hour, or until a cake-tester comes out clean.
As with all of these sorts of cakes, leave in the tin on a wire rack until completely cooled.
Preheat the oven to 170ºC/150°C Fan/gas mark 3/325ºF. Halve the cherries, wash them in a colander under cold water, then pat them dry, toss them in some flour and shake well to get rid of excess.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten eggs and almond essence, then gently fold in the flour and almond meal. Fold in the cherries and then the milk and spoon the thick mixture into a lined and buttered loaf tin (23 x 13 x 7cm / 9 x 5 x 3 inches) and bake for ¾-1 hour, or until a cake-tester comes out clean.
As with all of these sorts of cakes, leave in the tin on a wire rack until completely cooled.
A delicious Cherry and almond loaf cake I made as Nigella and it turned out perfectly another winner!
Posted by Odelle on 2nd November 2022
This a beautiful cake which was very easy to make. It took about an hour and 10 mins, but was well worth the wait. A nice crust with a light, moist sponge. My boyfriend prefers this to store bought and I will definitely be baking this again. 10/10
Posted by Adz85 on 16th April 2021
Just off to make this again for my husband's birthday. It is his favourite of all the cakes I make. It has never failed me but I do have to cook it for 1hour and 15 minutes putting foil over the top for the last 20 minutes or so. Absolutely delicious and also keeps quite well - unless we have visitors!
Posted by Peachy75 on 15th April 2020
Just away to make this again as the last one didn't stay long in the tin! Has anyone tried freezing it?
Posted by Scaryjaney on 19th March 2019
This is a delicious cake. I've made it a couple of times now and here are my tips. Tip One: I didn't wash/dry/flour the cherries - I just mixed them in straight from the pot and they did not sink and were beautifully distributed through the cake. Tip Two: There is a lot of mixture here so check that you're using a loaf tin of the size they recommend. My loaf tin is slightly smaller so I just filled it to a bit below the top and it cooked perfectly in an hour. I used the extra mixture to do a few cupcakes which cooked in about 20 mins at the same temperature. Tip Three: It was delicious made with margarine rather than butter - I used a mix of Stork and Flora Buttery which I happened to have available - but it works absolutely fine.
Posted by N1cook on 3rd October 2018
Lovely recipe, but despite rinsing the cherries, and dusting with flour, they still sunk to the bottom! Next time, I’ll try mixing them with the almonds first, and then fold in, see if that works. Oh, and it definitely takes longer to cook too.
Posted by Flooz on 30th May 2018
I'm very pleased with the way this cake turned out. Having read other reviews I set my fan oven to 150. I checked it after 45 mins but the top felt a little too bouncy even though the skewer came out clean. I gave it another 15 mins and it was fine. I will definitely make this again.
Posted by Catomania on 19th July 2016
This cake is so moist and rich and flavour is great will be making again. Everyone just loved it.
Posted by Khussey62 on 16th December 2015
I made this today its still in the oven I forgot to add the milk oops.. I'm hoping it wont matter too much!
Posted by Cazzy7 on 12th September 2015
For those of us who bake for nut-allergic people, substituting ground rice for the grounds almonds works well.
Posted by LucyPauline on 13th July 2015
Still cooking - definitely going to need 1 hour 10 minutes. Put a loose piece of foil over the top to stop it burning.
Posted by Jane71 on 19th May 2015
First timer at this recipe. I have a fan oven so I preheated the oven to 160°C, and after 45 minutes the top of the loaf cake was browning quite a bit. I brought it out, covered it with tin foil and turned the oven to 150°C. It took exactly 80 minutes to cook.The next time I make this loaf cake I will preheat the oven to 150°C and cook it at that temperature. I didn't taste it as it was made for a relative who loves cherry cakes, but she phoned me to praise me on it's moistness. So I definitely have to try this again, only get to taste for myself. Overall,a nice easy recipe.
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What 22 Others have said
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Posted by Odelle on 2nd November 2022
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Posted by Adz85 on 16th April 2021
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Posted by Peachy75 on 15th April 2020
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Posted by Scaryjaney on 19th March 2019
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Posted by N1cook on 3rd October 2018
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Posted by Flooz on 30th May 2018
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Posted by Catomania on 19th July 2016
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Posted by Khussey62 on 16th December 2015
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Posted by Cazzy7 on 12th September 2015
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Posted by LucyPauline on 13th July 2015
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Posted by Jane71 on 19th May 2015
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Posted by crumby74 on 28th April 2015
Show more commentsA delicious Cherry and almond loaf cake I made as Nigella and it turned out perfectly another winner!
This a beautiful cake which was very easy to make. It took about an hour and 10 mins, but was well worth the wait. A nice crust with a light, moist sponge. My boyfriend prefers this to store bought and I will definitely be baking this again. 10/10
Just off to make this again for my husband's birthday. It is his favourite of all the cakes I make. It has never failed me but I do have to cook it for 1hour and 15 minutes putting foil over the top for the last 20 minutes or so. Absolutely delicious and also keeps quite well - unless we have visitors!
Just away to make this again as the last one didn't stay long in the tin! Has anyone tried freezing it?
This is a delicious cake. I've made it a couple of times now and here are my tips. Tip One: I didn't wash/dry/flour the cherries - I just mixed them in straight from the pot and they did not sink and were beautifully distributed through the cake. Tip Two: There is a lot of mixture here so check that you're using a loaf tin of the size they recommend. My loaf tin is slightly smaller so I just filled it to a bit below the top and it cooked perfectly in an hour. I used the extra mixture to do a few cupcakes which cooked in about 20 mins at the same temperature. Tip Three: It was delicious made with margarine rather than butter - I used a mix of Stork and Flora Buttery which I happened to have available - but it works absolutely fine.
Lovely recipe, but despite rinsing the cherries, and dusting with flour, they still sunk to the bottom! Next time, I’ll try mixing them with the almonds first, and then fold in, see if that works. Oh, and it definitely takes longer to cook too.
I'm very pleased with the way this cake turned out. Having read other reviews I set my fan oven to 150. I checked it after 45 mins but the top felt a little too bouncy even though the skewer came out clean. I gave it another 15 mins and it was fine. I will definitely make this again.
This cake is so moist and rich and flavour is great will be making again. Everyone just loved it.
I made this today its still in the oven I forgot to add the milk oops.. I'm hoping it wont matter too much!
For those of us who bake for nut-allergic people, substituting ground rice for the grounds almonds works well.
Still cooking - definitely going to need 1 hour 10 minutes. Put a loose piece of foil over the top to stop it burning.
First timer at this recipe. I have a fan oven so I preheated the oven to 160°C, and after 45 minutes the top of the loaf cake was browning quite a bit. I brought it out, covered it with tin foil and turned the oven to 150°C. It took exactly 80 minutes to cook.The next time I make this loaf cake I will preheat the oven to 150°C and cook it at that temperature. I didn't taste it as it was made for a relative who loves cherry cakes, but she phoned me to praise me on it's moistness. So I definitely have to try this again, only get to taste for myself. Overall,a nice easy recipe.