Warm Cherry Skillet Cake

By Kayla Hoang

Updated May 8, 2026

  • Andrew Bui for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
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Ready In
About 1 hr
Rating
5(55)
Comments
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Nodding to fruit cobbler, this recipe transforms dark, sweet cherries into a buttery and bright skillet cake. With a batter that’s mixed right in its baking dish, the only bowl needed is to macerate the cherries, which brings out their flavor and helps to soften them, yielding plump pops of fruit in the soft cake. Because the cake is served scooped from its pan, it doesn’t need the structure from eggs that traditional cakes rely on. Instead, the cake gets most of its structure from incorporating the flour into the batter until smooth while near equal amounts of butter, buttermilk and sugar (like in pound cake) keeps it tender and plush. Feel free to swap the cherries for other fresh stone fruit, such as chopped plums or apricots. 

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings

  • ¾ cup/170 grams unsalted butter

  • 12 ounces fresh dark, sweet cherries, such as Bing, pitted and halved (about 2 cups) or thawed, frozen pitted sweet cherries, whole (see Tip)

  • ⅔ cup/142 grams plus 4 teaspoons sugar, divided

  • ½ large lemon 

  • ¾ teaspoon baking powder

  • ½ teaspoon baking soda

  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt, such as Diamond Crystal 

  • ¾ cup/170 grams buttermilk

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  • ½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)

  • 1⅓ cups/170 grams all-purpose flour

  • Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In an oven-safe, high-sided 10-inch skillet set over medium heat, melt the butter, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.  

  2. Step 2

    While the butter melts, place the cherries and 1 tablespoon sugar in a medium bowl. Zest and juice ½ of a lemon (about 2 teaspoons zest and 4 teaspoons juice) over the cherries and toss until the sugar is dissolved and the fruit looks glossy. 

  3. Step 3

    To the skillet with the melted butter, carefully whisk in the baking powder, baking soda and salt (it may bubble lightly). Carefully stir in the buttermilk, vanilla extract, almond extract (if using) and ⅔ cup sugar. Add the flour and, using a flexible spatula, stir until combined, smooth and no dry bits of flour remain. Smooth the batter into an even layer in the skillet. 

  4. Step 4

    Scatter the cherries and any juices in an even layer over the cake batter. Sprinkle the remaining teaspoon sugar (see Tip) over the top. 

  5. Step 5

    Bake until the cake no longer jiggles when you gently wiggle the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. 

  6. Step 6

    Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream as desired. Leftover cake can be stored covered at room temperature for up to 1 day (the crackly sugar crust will soften as it sits). Reheat leftover portions in the microwave before serving. 

Tips

  • Frozen cherries can be used in place of fresh, but note the frozen cherries will be softer and sink further into the finished cake. To use frozen cherries, thaw and drain the cherries and discard any liquid from thawing. Instead of doing so in step 2, wait to toss the thawed and drained cherries with sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice until just before scattering over the cake batter.

  • For extra texture, you can swap the granulated sugar sprinkled on top for turbinado sugar. 

  • Alternatively, the cake can be baked in a 9-inch round cake pan or baking dish. If using an alternate dish, melt the butter in a bowl in the microwave or place the butter in the pan or dish, place in the oven to melt and transfer to a large bowl. Proceed with making the batter in the bowl with the butter and scrape the batter evenly into the cake pan or baking dish.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
55 user ratings
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Comments

Stripes Jaeger I

So far a four star rating posted by 5 people who have yet to even make the recipe. Stars should only be allowed by those who have actually prepared the recipe as written.

Nancy

I made this, with frozen cherries and following the recipe. I found I liked it better when it was not warm, as the cherries had a brighter flavor when cool. It's really delicious. I wonder, though, why I am making it in a skillet. Next time (today, yum) I will make it following the directions for using a bowl and a cake pan, which makes more sense to me, and will double the lemon zest. Anyway, I recommend it, especially with a little pour of heavy cream over the top.

Beth from NJ

@SJ I haven't made this one yet, but I almost always have success subbing in applesauce for half the butter when I'm baking. For example if the recipe calls for half a cup of oil or butter I'll use 1/4 cup oil/butter and a scant 1/4 cup applesauce. Fold it in at the end to prevent overmixing.

Rich

Increased the amount of fresh cherries to one pound but other than that left the recipe EXACTLY as written. Baked in a cast iron skillet and the result was pure perfection!!! A great quick dessert with a minimal amount of time. Don't pass this one up!!!!

karla

Didn't have a cherry pitter. Over a bowl, bite cherry in half, spit the pitted half into the bowl, bite the pit out of the other half, spit other half into bowl, repeat. Works great lol. (Made this just for myself and my husband.)

GettingLost

I made this recipe as written as I always do whenever I am trying out a new recipe and I will definitely be preparing this again perhaps with some different stone fruits as suggested in the tips area of the recipe. My family enjoyed it with freshly made homemade vanilla ice cream.

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