Creamy Cherry Streusel Cakes

There are two sour cherries trees in our front yard, and the last two weeks it all came to fruition: the cherries gleaming ruby red, then picked, and pitted, and frozen. I was able to get one large batch picked before the blue jays decided they would spend their days in our trees, feasting on cherries and squawking at us if we came near. Then, two baby deer found the trees, and they were so beautiful nibbling on the bright red fruit in the setting sun, that I decided to let nature enjoy its bounty.

But I did have enough sour cherries to make Turnovers. And Cherry Rhubarb Crisp. And, these sweet little jammy cakes.

I’m not going to lie; cream cheese swirl is what I’ll pick in a bakery case lineup any day. There is a layer of cake, then cream cheese, tart jam, and streusel topping in every perfect bite. I like to eat them just barely warm, but they are great the next day too. One of my favorite things about this recipe is the streusel topping is made from the dry cake base, which cuts down on extra bowls and time preparing them.

Yes, I’ve made quite a few of these little cakes now: the original jammy cakes, then pumpkin and carrot. I love them all equally, but the fresh sour cherries hit all the right notes in this batch, and they are a perfect summer treat.

To make them, you’ll need eight 4-inch springform cake pans, 4-inch cake pans, or jumbo muffin pans. You can also make this in a 9 x 13 in pan; see the recipe notes for details.

Creamy Cherry Streusel Cakes

Servings: 8 mini cakes

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

These soft and tender mini cherry cakes are such a treat! There is a layer of cake that has a hint of almond, then cream cheese, and quick cherry jam. The streusel topping is the perfect finishing touch.

Sarah Kieffer

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Ingredients

Cherry Filling

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup [50 g] granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups [200 g] sweet cherries, pitted and chopped, fresh or frozen
• 1/2 cup [67 g] sour cherries, pitted and chopped, fresh or frozen

Cake

• 3/4 cup [180 g] sour cream, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup [60 g] buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 1/4 cups [320 g] all-purpose flour
• 1 cup [200 g] granulated sugar
• 12 tablespoons [1 1/2 sticks or 170 g] unsalted butter, cut into 1 in [2.5 cm] pieces, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream Cheese Filling

• 8 oz [227 g] cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup [50 g] granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature

Equipment

• (4-inch) Springform Pans

Instructions

For the Cherry Filling

• Place the butter in a large saucepan and heat over medium heat until melted. Add the granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, salt, and cinnamon and heat until the sugar has dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cherries and cook until the cherries are broken down and the mixture has turned glossy, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat, transfer the mixture to a bowl, and let the mixture cool to room temperature while you make the cake batter.

For the cake

• Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F [180C]. Grease eight 4 in [10 cm] cake pans or springform pans, and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Or prepare a jumbo muffin pan or ramekins (see note).
• In a medium bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the sour cream, buttermilk, egg, vanilla, and almond.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, combine the flour and granulated sugar on low speed. Add the butter, one piece at a time, beating until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Remove 1 cup [130 g] of the mixture and set it aside in small bowl.
• With the mixer on low speed, beat in the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the wet ingredients and mix until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and use a spatula to mix the batter a few more times. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.

For the Cream Cheese Filling

• In the stand mixer bowl in which you mixed the cake batter, beat together the cream cheese and granulated sugar on low speed until smooth and creamy. Add the egg and mix until incorporated, scraping down the sides as needed. Divide the cream cheese mixture among the pans and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Spread 2 tablespoons of jam evenly over the cream cheese filling in each pan. Divide the reserved flour-butter mixture among the pans, sprinkling it evenly over the tops. Tap the pans gently on the counter twice to help get rid of any air bubbles.
• Place the cake pans on a large sheet pan and bake until golden brown and a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs, rotating the pan halfway through baking, 26 to 32 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let the cakes cool until barely warm or at room temperature.
• Remove the cakes from their pans and serve. Alternatively, the cakes can be covered in plastic wrap after cooling and stored in the refrigerator overnight.

Notes

Don’t forget to add the baking soda, baking powder, and salt in step four!

You can play with the sweet to sour cherry ratio in the filling – I use more sweet than sour because my family prefers it that way, but you can do equal parts of both if you want your filling to be even more sweet-tart. 

If you don’t have 4 in [10 cm] cake pans, you can bake the cakes in jumbo muffin tins or ramekins. Fill the cavities a quarter of the way with batter, and spread only 1 tablespoon of jam on each one. Top with the cream cheese mixture and then the flour-butter mixture. Smaller cakes will bake faster, so start checking them a few minutes earlier. 

To make in a 9×13 inch pan, recipe works as written. But for a more substantial cream cheese layer use 12 oz [340 g] cream cheese and 1/3 cup [65 g] granulated sugar, along with the 1 large egg. Bake 32 to 40 minutes.

*Throughout my recipes posted on this website, 1 cup of flour equals 142g. Please note that 1 cup of flour can range anywhere from 120g to 142g, depending on the baker or website. I found that after weighting many cups of flour and averaging the total, mine always ended up around this number. Weighing your flour instead of using cup measurements is the surest way to get the result I intended when developing the recipe.