Dessert

Cherry Sponge Cake Recipe

This cherry sponge cake is cooked in red wine, butter and brown sugar are covered with a light sponge batter and baked until golden brown. Easy to make!

To recipe
Cherries reduced in red wine and topped with a soft sponge

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Recipe insights & TIPS

This dessert reminds me of being back home in Scotland. In fact I slightly adapted the recipe from one of my Jamie Oliver books.

The traditional version of this recipe is called Eve's Pudding and has stewed apples in it. I used cherries and made them a little bit more bossy, you might say I sassed those cherries up.

Sorry Eve darlin', my Cherry Sponge Cake is way tastier than your apples.

Cherries reduced in red wine and topped with a soft sponge

I remember making trays upon trays of those Eve's puddings in my very first bakery job. They were all made by hand, literally.

I'd scoop the apple from a giant bowl and dump them in the foil trays. Another baker would follow me with the sponge mix and then they'd get baked in the oven until golden brown.

But, let's get back to the cherries. You've probably seen them in the store and the price is becoming way more recipe friendly than a few weeks ago.

Also my kids are knocking them back like peanuts at a ball game which is awesome because they're so good for you! Cherries are more than 75% water and practically fat free...unlike myself.

Juicy ripe cherries and light sponge cake

Once they've become soft, add the sponge cake mixture on top and bake it. Keep to the Brits tradition and eat this warm with a huge dollop of vanilla ice cream and let it get all melty over that sponge.

Warm custard would be even better to use but harder to find here in the U.S. Custard is really just the same as pastry cream which makes me chuckle a bit, because you'd never try to eat a bowl of pastry cream on it's own but eating a bowl of custard is no biggie across the pond.

Soft sponge baked with juicy fresh cherries

You can use a pie pan if you don't have a skillet. Make sure to place it on a baking sheet in the oven to prevent spills.


Serve this dessert warm with ice cream or custard to enjoy it at its best.

Adapted from Jamie Oliver

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Recipe

Cherries reduced in red wine and topped with a soft sponge

Course:
Dessert
COOKing TIME:
30 minutes
Total TIME:
50 minutes
CUISINE:
American
PREP TIME:
20 minutes
SERVINGS:
8

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds pitted cherries
  • 4 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 4 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For The Sponge:

  • 4 1/2 ounces unsalted butter (soft)
  • 4 1/2 ounces sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup self rising flour

Ingredient Swaps

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Add the cherries, butter, red wine, brown sugar and vanilla to an 11 inch cast iron skillet (see notes)
  3. Bring to a boil and simmer over a medium heat for about 8-10 minutes or until the cherries start to soften. Turn off the heat
  4. Using a stand mixer beat the butter and sugar until well mixed and fluffy.
  5. Add the eggs one at a time making sure to scrape the bowl down each time.
  6. Using a spatula fold in the flour. Spread the sponge mixture over the cherries. Don't worry if the cherries get mixed in with the sponge or if you don't get the sponge completely covering the cherries. The mix will spread as it bakes.
  7. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes and the sponge springs back slightly when pushed in the middle.

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