Slow Cooker Cherry Cake

Full of glacé cherries (candied cherries) and so simple to make, this slow cooker cherry cake recipe makes a small cake or loaf cake which is brilliant for snacks or including in packed lunches.

Cherry cake is of course an old-fashioned favourite lovely for afternoon tea!

I made this cherry cake in a round slow cooker, I find slow cooker cakes so easy as I can get on with something else while my cake bakes!

When your to-do list never ends that really is something that works for me.

Glacé cherries

I’ve had a couple of tubs of glacé (or candied) cherries in my kitchen cupboards for a while now, and a cherry cake is a great way to use them up!

Cherry cake reminds me of tea times with my grandparents when I was little, it has those lovely homely connotations from childhood.

Similar to a fruit cake but using only cherries instead of mixed sultanas, currants and raisins, it goes well with a pot of tea.

This cake is really easy to bake, and of course making it in the slow cooker keeps it nice and moist.

With my top tips for baking a cake in the slow cooker you will have great results too!

Like all of my slow cooker cakes, this slow cooker cherry cake could be made in the oven too. The cake was simple but delicious and scoffed in no time at all!

Add a drizzle of icing if you like or it is delicious without too!

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you will need for this recipe. Get the quantities in the recipe card further down.

• butter – I prefer to use unsalted butter for cakes, if you prefer salted you can use that instead. Margarine or baking spread will also be fine.
• eggs – large free-range eggs are my preference.
• flour – self-raising flour has the rising agent built in and is ideal for cakes. If you don’t have any you can add a little baking powder to plain flour instead.
• sugar – caster sugar is the standard type of sugar to use in baking. Granulated will work fine too.
• glacé cherries (candied cherries) – I have found the glacé cherries halves work best, they are slightly lighter then whole cherries so don’t sink as much.
• vanilla extract – adds sweetness and flavour to the cake. I suggest using vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste rather than synthetic vanilla essence, as they have more flavour.
• icing sugar – to make the icing by simply combining it with a little cold water.

Instructions

Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips so you can make this cherry cake recipe perfectly every time.

Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.

Step 1. Cube butter and place the butter and sugar in a large bowl.

Step 2. Mix well until light and fluffy.

Step 3. Beat two eggs, add to the butter/sugar a bit at a time. Mix well after each addition. Add the flour, then fold in carefully.

Step 4. Rinse and dry the cherries, then toss them in the additional flour. Stir the floured cherries and vanilla extract into the cake mixture.

Step 5. Once mixed, spoon the cake mixture into a lined slow cooker pot and smooth the top with a spoon.

Step 6. Put the lid on your slow cooker, turn it to high. Put a tea towel/dish towel under the lid and fold the edges back over the top of the lid so they don’t hang over the metal sides of the pot. Cook on high for 2 hours.

Step 7. Check the cake is cooked through by inserting a skewer/cake tester or knife and checking it comes out clean. Pull the cake out using the edges of the baking paper and allow to cool.

Step 8. Once cool, drizzle with a simple icing – made by mixing icing sugar with a little cold water – if desired and enjoy!

Oven method

You can of course also bake this cherry cake in a normal oven if you don’t have a slow cooker.

I follow the same method as shown above to prepare the cake mixture, using a lined 2 lb/900 g large loaf tin instead of the slow cooker.

Cook for 40-45 minutes at 180°C / 350°F. Make sure you check the cake is cooked through using a cake tester or knife, and watch out for burning or the cake getting too brown, as all ovens differ.

Recipe tips

To stop the cherries sinking in cherry cake:

• use cherry halves or pieces instead of whole cherries
• rinse the cherries to remove the sticky sugary coating and then dry them and dust them in flour before adding them to the mixture
• special tip for slow cooker cherry cake – as the cooking time is longer than oven baking, you can hold back some cherries and drop them on top of the cake mixture in the slow cooker half an hour before the end of cooking.

Recipe

Slow Cooker Cherry Cake

A traditional cherry cake made in your slow cooker

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate Save Saved!

Course: Baking

Cuisine: Slow Cooker

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours

Total Time: 2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 393kcal

Author: Lucy Allen | BakingQueen74

Ingredients

• 200 g glacé cherries (candied cherries) cherry halves work best
• 150 g unsalted butter at room temperature
• 150 g golden caster sugar or normal white caster sugar
• 2 large eggs beaten
• 150 g self-raising flour
• 25 g self-raising flour extra to toss the cherries in
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• 3 tbsp icing sugar

UK Measurements – US Measurements

Equipment

round slow cooker

cake liners

Instructions 

• Cream together the butter and the sugar until it is light and fluffy.
  150 g unsalted butter, 150 g golden caster sugar
• Beat the eggs, then add the eggs to the mixture bit by bit. Ensure each addition is mixed well.
  2 large eggs
• Fold in the flour.
  150 g self-raising flour
• Rinse the cherries and dry them on kitchen towel.
  200 g glacé cherries
• Toss the cherries in the extra flour, keeping a few aside to put on the top.
  25 g self-raising flour
• Add the dusted cherries and the vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste to the mixture and stir in gently.
  1 tsp vanilla extract
• Line your slow cooker pot. You can either use baking paper or a large cake tin case. I use two layers of baking paper or two cake cases to prevent burning.
• Place the cake mixture in the lined pot, and use a spoon to smooth the top.
• Place a tea towel under the lid of your slow cooker, fold up the edges of the tea towel so they aren’t hanging down, then put the lid on the slow cooker.
• Cook on high for 2 hours, or until a skewer comes out clean.
• As soon as the pot has cooled a little, use the lining to pull the cake out, and leave it to cool on a rack.
• If you want icing, mix the icing sugar with a few drops of cold water and drizzle over the cake once completely cool.
  3 tbsp icing sugar

Notes

Oven method

You can of course also bake this cherry cake in a normal oven if you don’t have a slow cooker.

I follow the same method as shown above to prepare the cake mixture, using a lined 2 lb/900 g large loaf tin instead of the slow cooker.

Cook for 40-45 minutes at 180°C / 350°F. Make sure you check the cake is cooked through using a cake tester or knife, and watch out for burning or the cake getting too brown, as all ovens differ.

Recipe tips

To stop the cherries sinking in cherry cake:

• use cherry halves or pieces instead of whole cherries
• rinse the cherries to remove the sticky sugary coating and then dry them and dust them in flour before adding them to the mixture
• special tip for slow cooker cherry cake – as the cooking time is longer than oven baking, you can hold back some cherries and drop them on top of the cake mixture in the slow cooker half an hour before the end of cooking.

Did you try and love this recipe?Then please leave a star rating and comment below to let me know how you got on!