This is a delicious cherry-pound cake with pistachios. Made in a bundt pan this is a rich moist cake loaded with red glace cherries and green pistachio nuts which makes it the perfect Christmas cake. Using my light and airy vanilla cake recipes as a base with sour cream for a tender crumb.
Table of Content
Well, it's Christmas soon and I am still writing my Christmas recipes. But, I just knew I had to share these recipes with you. Are you are a fan of pound or fruitcakes?
Why make this pound recipe
- This cake is moist and delicious with a tender crumb. The cherries add a wonderful flavor and sweetness while the pistachios add a lovely crunch. I love how pretty this cake looks when you cut into beautiful red spots from the cherries and a splatter of green from the pistachio.
- The best part is that this is such a simple and easy cake. Once you have the ingredients ready, it takes just 10 minutes to mix and about 60 minutes to bake.
- Ideally, it's always best to cut cakes when they have had the time to cool but for me, it's really hard not to cut into a hot pound cake. I love how tender, moist and delicious this cake taste when warm.
- I am using cherries and pistachios today but you can certainly make it with other dry fruits as well such as cranberries and almonds.
Ingredients and substitutes
- All-purpose flour - Yes, this cake needs no special cake flour or otherwise. Just plain old all-purpose flour works just as well. If self-raising flour is all you have, use it but reduce the baking powder and baking soda by half.
- Butter - You need butter in this recipe to hold the fruit together, oil won't give you that firm texture.
- Sour Cream - Gives the cake that soft moist texture as well as a soft tender crumb to the cake. If you can't find sour cream, you can use cream cheese or yogurt as well.
- Eggs - Always use large eggs when baking. A large egg should be around 50 to 60 grams in weight.
- Glace cherries - I am using only red glace cherries this year as I could not find any green ones. I looked everywhere for it. If you do find, use a mixture of both red and green. It looks so much prettier.
- Pistachio - I paired the cherries with pistachio because they are green and work well in contrast to the red cherries. But, any other nuts will work just as well. You can use almond, cashews, hazelnuts or macadamia.
Step by step instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 177°C/ Gas Mark 4
- Grease and dust with flour an (8-inch) or 6-cup bundt pan.Alternatively, you can also use an 8 x 2-inch round pan or 9 x 4-inch loaf pan.
- Dry ingredients - In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices- set aside.
- Cherries - Add 2 tablespoon flour to the cherries - set aside
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment cream the butter, sour cream, and sugar until light and fluffy.
Pro tip - make sure the butter is at room temperature so it creams well and not get lumpy
- Next, add the eggs one at a time making sure each is well incorporated.
Pro tip - adding room-temperature eggs one at a time will prevent the batter from curdling. - Add the flour and milk in three additions. Then add the cherries and the chopped pistachios. Combine well.
Pro tip - do not overmix at this point. The flour coating the fruit works as the glue holding on to the batter. Overmixing will cause the flour to blend into the batter and therefore sink to the bottom.
- Pour into the prepared baking pan. Bake in the preheated oven on the middle rack for 60 to 70 minutes until a skewer inserted in the center comes clean
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then invert onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
- Dust with powdered sugar (optional). Enjoy!
More fruitcake recipes
- All about fruitcakes - tips, storage and more
- Rich Fruit Cake Recipe
- Boozy Christmas fruitcake.
- Eggless fruitcake recipe
- Dark fruitcake recipe
- Candied Fruit Fruitcake
- Pistachio Cherry Fruitcake
- Cranberry Almond Semolina Cake
Frequently asked questions
How long will this cherry pound keep?
This pound cake is made with sour cream for a tender crumb. it will keep for about 3 to 4 days at room temperature or 6 to 8 days well wrapped in the fridge. You can even freeze it for up to three months.
Do you have to soak the glace cherries for this cake?
No, there is no need to soak the glace cherries as they are usually soaked in syrup but we do need to coat them in flour so they do not sink to the bottom of the cake. The sour cream helps keeps the cake moist.
Can I frost this cake?
You can cover this cherry bundt cake with marzipan as well as fondant or add some royal icing decorations.
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Printable Recipe
Cherry Pound Cake with Pistachios
Print Pin Rate Share by Email Share on FB Save Grow Coooking Temperature: 350°F / 177°C/ Gas Mark 4
Difficulty: Easy
Calories: 503kcal
Adjust Servings Here: 10 servings
Description
A deliciously rich, moist cherry fruitcake recipe uses red glace cherries and green pistachio nuts to make it Christmasy. Using my light and airy vanilla cake recipes as a base with sour cream for a tender crumb.
Video
Conversions Used
1 lb = 453 grams, 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 stick = 113g, 1 tbsp= 15 ml, 1 tsp= 5 ml,
Ingredients
Cake batter
- 4 oz (113 g) Butter (unsalted, room temperture)
- 1 cup (200 g) White sugar
- 3 Eggs (large)
- ½ cup (120 ml) Sour Cream
- ½ cup (120 ml) Milk
- 2 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon Almond extract ((optional))
Dry ingredients
- 2½ cup (2.50 cups) All-Purpose Flour
- 1 ½ tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- ½ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg ((optional))
- ½ tsp Mixed spices ((optional))
Fruit & nuts
- 10 oz (280 g) Glace Cherries ((red, green - preferably both))
- 4 oz (100 g) Pistachio
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 177°C/ Gas Mark 4
- Grease and dust with flour an (8-inch) or 6-cup bundt pan. Alternatively, you can also use an 8 x 2-inch round pan or 9 x 4-inch loaf pan.
- Dry ingredients - In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices- set aside.
- Cherries - Add 2 tablespoon flour to the cherries - set aside
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment cream the butter, sour cream, and sugar until light and fluffy. Pro tip - make sure the butter is at room temperature so it creams well and not get lumpy
- Next, add the eggs one at a time making sure each is well incorporated. Pro tip - adding room-temperature eggs one at a time will prevent the batter from curdling.
- Add the flour and milk in three additions. Then add the cherries and the chopped pistachios. Combine well.Pro tip - do not overmix at this point. The flour coating the fruit works as the glue holding on to the batter. Overmixing will cause the flour to blend into the batter and therefore sink to the bottom.
- Pour into the prepared baking pan. Bake in the preheated oven on the middle rack for 60 to 70 minutes until a skewer inserted in the center comes clean
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then invert onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
- Dust with powdered sugar (optional). Enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Calories: 503- kcalCarbohydrates: 72- gProtein: 8- gFat: 20- gSaturated Fat: 8- gCholesterol: 79- mgSodium: 265- mgPotassium: 310- mgFiber: 2- gSugar: 36- gVitamin A: 500- IUVitamin C: 0.9- mgCalcium: 87- mgIron: 2.4- mg
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
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Debbie Botha
Hello there,
I have followed your recipes for years now and they're great. Thank you for sharing!!
What other nut would you suggest to put in the cherry bundt cake, were not fond of pistachio nuts.
Thank you in advance and would like to take the opportunity to wish you and yours a blessed festive season.
Best wishes and kind regards
D Botha (Debbie)
Veena Azmanov
Hey Debbie. Oh you can add almonds which are a perfect combination with cranberries but go with other nuts that you like. I love cashews with cranberry too.
Rashmi
Hi Veena
I had a pistachio cake with rose flavoured butter cream long back. How can I adapt this recipe to bake a similar one . What should I use to replace the cherries?
Veena Azmanov
Hey Rashmi. You can omit the cherries in this recipe and 1/2 cup more pistachios if you want and 1/2 tsp rose extract. Keep everything else the same.
Use my Vanilla Buttercream Frosting but use 1/4 tsp almond extract and 1/2 tsp rose extract. (if the extracts are too strong use less)
KD
This looks absolutely delicious!
Why is it that my nuts/berries are never spread out in the whole cake? They all sink at the bottom. I do coat them with APF but still! Am I missing something? ?
Also, if I were to frost this cake. What flavor would you recommend? ?
Thank you!
Veena Azmanov
Hey KD, It is important to add the flour to the nuts and fruits but it is equally important that once you add them to the batter you do not over mix them. Often people over mix at this stage. Try that next time. Mix them in just until combined.
My favorite is vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream with this cake so it keeps the flavor of cherry. I have also used Butterscotch for a customer and she loved it. You can find all my frosting recipes under bake.
Bethany
SO perfect for the Holiday season!! This looks gorgeous and sounds so yummy!
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Bethany