This homemade cherry chip cake is moist, flavorful, and naturally pink—perfect for birthdays, baby showers, or any celebration. Paired with a fluffy cherry almond buttercream, it’s a nostalgic favorite that’s just as fun to eat as it is to make. Plus, with gluten-free and dairy-free options, everyone can grab a slice.

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A cherry chip cake with bright white frosting decorated with vintage piping and topped with bright red maraschino cherries.

Why You’ll Love This Cherry Chip Cake

Sweet, nostalgic, and just the right shade of pink—this cherry chip cake is everything you want in a playful dessert. Packed with chopped maraschino cherries and layered with a light cherry almond buttercream, it’s giving big birthday energy, 1950s soda shop vibes, and serious flavor.

Fun and fruity – Chopped maraschino cherries and cherry juice give it a bright, sweet cherry flavor.
Homemade charm – No cake mix here! Just real ingredients and a super simple mixing method.
Customizable – Add chocolate chips, swap in lemon, or go bold with a chocolate buttercream.
Inclusive – Easily made gluten-free and dairy-free with a few simple swaps.

What Makes Up A Cherry Chip Cake

Cherry chip cake is a nostalgic bake that’s sweet, fruity, and full of charm. Here’s what makes it tick:

Cherry Chip Cake Layers – A soft vanilla cake base flecked with finely chopped maraschino cherries (aka the “chips”) and naturally tinted with cherry juice for that iconic pink.
Cherry Almond Buttercream – A fluffy cherry almond buttercream made with maraschino cherry juice and a splash of almond extract for a light, creamy finish that perfectly complements the cake.

Key Ingredients & Substitutions

Here’s what makes this cherry chip cake so special. Pay extra attention if you need gluten-free and/or dairy-free substitutions.

Flour – Use cake flour for a soft texture or a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend if needed.
Granulated sugar – Sweetens the cake and helps create a light, fluffy crumb. Organic cane sugar or monkfruit can be used.
Powdered sugar – Used in the buttercream for a smooth, creamy texture.
Sour cream & milk – These keep the crumb tender and moist. Use dairy-free alternatives if preferred.
Maraschino cherries + juice – The heart of the flavor and the natural pink tint.
Almond extract – Adds that classic cherry chip taste.
Vegetable oil – Helps the cake stay soft even when chilled. You can use any neutral-flavored oil.

How to Make A Cherry Chip Cake

You’ll need a stand or hand held electric mixer, cake pans, mixing bowls, whisk, and sptaula.

Cherry Chip Cake

Prep the pans – Preheat your oven to 350ºF and prepare three 6-inch or two 8-inch round cake pans with baking spray and parchment paper.
Mix the dry ingredients – In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Make the cherry milk – In a small measuring cup, combine the milk and cherry juice.
Mix the wet ingredients – In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, sour cream, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Set aside.
Alternate mixing – Add half of the dry mixture to the wet, then half the cherry milk. Repeat with remaining dry and wet, mixing until just combined.
Fold in cherries – Toss chopped maraschino cherries with a tablespoon of flour, then gently fold into the batter.
Bake – Divide batter evenly and bake for 35–40 minutes until the edges are golden and a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Cool completely – Let cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning out onto wire racks.

Cherry Almond Buttercream

Cream the butter – In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the room temperature butter on high speed for about 5-10 minutes until pale, light, and fluffy.
Add the remaining ingredients – Add the powdered sugar, cherry juice, almond extract, and salt. Mix on low speed until just combined.
Whip it good – Turn the mixer up to high and beat for 5 minutes until the buttercream is smooth, fluffy, and holds its shape. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Optional: Make it white – Add a toothpick tip of blue food color and/or liquid whitener and mix. Continue this process until bright white.

How to Assemble A Homemade Cherry Chip Cake

If at any point during stacking, frosting, or decorating, the frosting feels soft or the cake feels unstable, stop what you are doing and chill the cake and frosting immediately. Take your time and go slow.

Level layers – Once cooled, use a serrated knife or cake leveler to flatten the tops.
Add cherry juice – Brush the top of each cake layer with extra cherry juice for moisture and flavor.
Layer & frost – Place your first cake layer on a board or stand. Spread 1 cup of buttercream on top. Repeat with remaining layers.
Crumb coat – Apply a thin layer of buttercream around the cake and chill for 10 minutes.
Final coat – Cover with a second coat of buttercream and smooth the sides and top with an offset spatula or cake scraper.
Decorate – Add swirls, cherries, sprinkles—whatever fits the vibe. See the recipe card below for exact decorating details I did.

Cherry Chip Cake Tips & Flavor Variations

Dry the cherries – Pat chopped maraschino cherries with a paper towel to avoid extra moisture.
Use room temperature ingredients – This helps everything blend smoothly and bake evenly.
Customize it – Add chocolate chips, cherry pie filling between the layers, or lemon zest for a cherry-lemon twist! It would be phenomenal with a chocolate buttercream.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this gluten-free?

Yes! Just use a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend in place of the flour. Double check the maraschino cherries too as they can sometimes contain gluten.

How about dairy-free?

Use plant-based sour cream, milk, and butter in both the cake and buttercream. Easy peasy.

Can I freeze it?

Absolutely. Wrap the unfrosted layers tightly in plastic and freeze for up to 3 months. Frost after thawing. Alternatively, freeze the entire cake fully made. Thaw it overnight in the fridge and bring to room temperature before serving.

How to Store Cherry Chip Cake

Store leftover cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Let it sit at room temperature for 30–60 minutes before serving for the softest texture. Leftovers can also be frozen in slices for a sweet treat anytime.

The Best Cherry Chip Cake Recipe

Cherry chip cake is a classic, old-fashioned dessert made with chopped maraschino cherries, almond extract, and a soft vanilla cake base. This homemade version is moist, flavorful, and naturally pink—perfect for birthdays, baby showers, or any celebration.

If you bake it, I’d absolutely love for you to leave a star rating and review – it helps so much! And don’t forget to tag me on social media @cakedbykatie so I can see (and share!) your gorgeous bake.

Cherry-Inspired Baking Recipes

Are you a cherry fan? I sure am. Here are a few of my favorite cherry recipes.

Bright pink cherry chip cookies sitting on a white plate. The cookies have red maraschino cherries in them and white chocolate chips. — Cherry Chip Cookies

Four rich layers of dark chocolate cake. Whipped cream between each layer and topped with fresh cherries. — Cherry Chip Cookies

Cherry Chip Cake (GF & DF Option)

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Author: Katie Stymiest
Total Time: 1 Hour 40 Minutes
Yield: 12 Servings 1x
Diet: Gluten Free

Print Recipe

Description

Instructions

Cherry Chip Cake

Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare three 6-inch or two 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick baking spray and parchment paper.
Finely chop the maraschino cherries and place them on a clean kitchen or paper towel to absorb the extra liquid.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In another small mixing bowl or measuring cup, combine the milk and maraschino cherry juice. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, sour cream, oil, egg, and vanilla until smooth.
Add half of the dry ingredients and mix, followed by half of the milk mixture and mix.
Add the remaining half of the dry ingredients and again, the remaining half of the milk mixture, and mix until just combined. It’s okay if there are a few lumps in the batter.
Combine the chopped maraschino cherries and a tablespoon of flour and gently toss to coat. Gently fold them into the cake batter.
Divide the batter into the prepared cake pans and bake for approximately 35-40 minutes. The edges of the cakes should be light golden brown and slightly pulled away from the cake pan. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out with a few moist crumbs.
Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to fully cool.

Cherry Almond Buttercream

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment cream the butter on high speed until light and fluffy. Approximately 10 minutes.
Add in the powdered sugar, salt, cherry juice, and vanilla extract and mix on low until combined.
Turn the mixer up to high and let mix for 5 minutes until smooth and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl when necessary.
If using liquid whitener, add a few drops and mix. Repeat this process until bright white frosting is achieved. Alternatively, you can use a tiny bit (toothpick size) of blue gel color to help cancel the orange/pink tint of the frosting.

Cake Assembly

Level each fully cooled cake layer with a knife or cake leveler and brush each layer with extra cherry juice.
Place one cake layer on a plate, board, or turntable. Top with approximately 1 cup of buttercream. Repeat with the remaining cake layers.
Cover the outside of the cake with a thin layer of buttercream and chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
Cover the cake with a second layer of buttercream and smooth the sides and top with an offset spatula or cake smoother tool. Place in the fridge to chill for another 10 minutes.
To decorate, I used a Suuker 80 piping tip to pipe the very bottom ruffle, the ruffle swoops, and top edge ruffle. The second smaller ruffle on top of the bottom, swoops, and top is a Wilton 352 piping tip . Top each swoop gather with a maraschino cherry. Enjoy.
Leftover cake should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.