Romanian Sour Cherry Cake Recipe – The Cake of My Childhood

The Romanian sour cherry cake recipe has its roots embedded deep into my memories, as the first dessert I ever remember tasting. Every time I think about it I remember arriving at my grandma’s house, for the three month summer school holiday. She would always wait for me with a fresh out of the oven sour cherry cake, with its sweet aroma wafting throughout the kitchen and the yard in front.

The pride and joy of my grandma’s garden was an old sour cherry tree that would give us buckets of fruit every year and plenty of shade throughout the hot summer months, as it covered the entire garden patio. And it wasn’t just an ordinary sour cherry tree. Far from it, as this particular tree was a mix between a Romanian cherry tree and Turkish sour cherry tree. This meant that the fruits were large, meaty, and whilst still sour they had a certain sweetness in them. The sour cherries would end up in this wonderful cake, in compotes and jams which were preserved for the winter. Picking the sour cherries from the tree was a family business, as it was impossible for only one person to do it. The tree was giant, stretching over the garage, over the house, and into the neighbour’s yard. The branches split about one and a half metres from the ground, making a perfect spot for mini me to climb on, and chat over the fence with my best friend – who was the neighbour’s grandson. 

Unfortunately, when my grandma passed away, her recipe for this delicious Romanian sour cherry cake was lost. She would always make it without measuring ingredients, but because of the love she would put it in, the cake was always perfect. To recreate this Romanian sour cherry cake recipe, I used my other grandma’s plum cake recipe, from which I borrowed the cake mixture. The end result is very similar to my childhood sour cherry cake.

Ingredients for the Romanian Sour Cherry Cake Recipe

Three years ago I bought my own two cherry trees for the garden, calling them Bill and Ben. And to my surprise, they never made cherries – but sour cherries. In a way, I would like to think that it is a sign from my grandma, a reminder of our beautiful sour cherry tree from my childhood garden. This year is the first time the sour cherry trees have given me a lot of fruit, so I’ve been making this cake over and over, sharing it with friends, taking it to the pub quiz on Mondays, and pretty much getting everyone addicted to it.

The Romanian sour cherry cake recipe doesn’t require a lot of ingredients and it’s quite easy to make. All you need is flour, baking powder, sugar, a pinch of salt, eggs, oil, Greek yogurt, vanilla essence and, of course, sour cherries.

How to Make the Romanian Sour Cherry Cake

The Romanian sour cherry cake is very easy to make. All you have to do is mix the dry ingredients in one bowl, and then add all the wet ingredients on top. Mix well, until you get a beautiful, shiny, runny composition. Don’t worry, the mixture has to be like a thick, creamy batter, rather than a proper dough.

The hardest thing in this recipe is taking the pits out of the sour cherries. I have actually tried to find a cherry pit remover but none of the shops in my town had it, so I had to do it manually. My grandma used to do it with a safety pin, but my attempts to replicate that failed.  So I removed the pits by pushing them gently out of the sour cherries, in a separate bowl. I’m not going to lie, this is quite a messy experience and my entire work area was stained with the bright red sour cherry juice. If you don’t have a cherry pit remover either, make sure to wear an apron.

Once you have poured the batter into a baking tray, add the sour cherries on top. Keep in mind that the cake will rise in the oven, so it’s a good idea to push them inside the mixture a little bit. My sour cherries were quite small so they stayed closer to the surface.

Bake the cake for 30-40 minutes at 175 degrees, let it cool down, then decorate with powdered sugar.

Notes and Tips:

• It is best to use large sour cherries for this recipe. This is because the cake will rise in the oven and the cherries will stay towards the top.
• It is best to use a cherry pit remover, if you have one, to speed up the process and make less mess in the kitchen.
• Use a high quality Greek yogurt with plenty of fat in it. The more fat the yogurt has, the more fluffy the cake will be.  
• Depending on the tray you are using, the cake will need less or more time in the oven. I used a 35 x 25 baking tray and my cake was ready in 30 minutes. If you are using a smaller but taller tray, then you will need to leave it a little bit longer. The cake is ready when it gets a beautiful golden brown colour on top. You can test it by poking it with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, the interior is cooked.

FAQ:

How to store the Romanian sour cherry cake

You can store the Romanian sour cherry cake on the kitchen counter, at room temperature, covered with a kitchen towel. Because it’s such an airy cake, it will take much longer to start drying out.

How long can you keep the Romanian sour cherry cake

The Romanian sour cherry cake can keep its fluffy texture for up to 3 days, at room temperature. After this time it starts to dry out.  

Can you use other fruits to make this cake?

Yes, you can use other fruits to make this Romanian cake. Some great options are cherries, plums, apricots, peaches, or blueberries.

For more delicious Romanian desserts check out the following recommendations:

• Romanian walnut cake recipe
• Romanian sweet cheese pie recipe
• Romanian papanasi recipe

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