Lemon Cherry Cake
Taste of Home
Our family loves cherries, so this cake is the perfect way to end any meal. The combination of sweet cherries and lemon peel gives the yellow cake a distinctive flavor, and no one can resist the yummy cream cheese topping.
-Janice Greenhalgh, Florence, Kentucky
SERVINGS: 12-15
CATEGORY: Dessert
METHOD: Baked
TIME: Prep: 20 min. Bake: 30 min. + cooling
Ingredients:
- 1-1/2 cups coarsely chopped fresh or frozen pitted sweet cherries
- 3/4 cup butter, softened
- 1-3/4 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
- 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/4 cups milk
- TOPPING:
- 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
- 3-1/2 to 4 cups confectioners' sugar
Directions:
Pat cherries dry with paper towels; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon peel and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk.
Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Sprinkle with cherries. Bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
For topping, in a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, lemon juice and peel until smooth. Beat in enough confectioners' sugar until mixture achieves desired consistency. Cut cake; top each piece with a dollop of topping. Yield: 12-15 servings.