This spoon cake features a soft butter cake topped with fresh cherries and mixed berries. It’s called a “spoon cake” because you scoop it straight from the dish, while still warm, with zero concern for perfect slices. Top it with ice cream and you have the perfect dessert!
What sets this recipe apart
Scoop don’t slice: No need for pretty slices, this rustic cake is meant to be scooped into bowls and served with a spoon. Just like my lemon blueberry spoon cake!
Cherries AND berries: This is a winning combo that has every bite bursting with summery flavors.
Serve warm: This dessert is packed with fruit and served warm. Kind of like a cobbler, but with more of a cake-like consistency.
Visual recipe overview
*Full recipe below in recipe card*
Cake batter
Make the easy one-bowl cake batter. No mixer needed!
Fruit
Combine berries, cherries, and sugar.
Assemble
Add the cake batter to the bottom of a greased 9×13 baking pan. Spoon the berries and cherries over the top.
Bake
Bake for 35-40 minutes. The edges will be golden brown and the fruit will have softened.
My recipe testing tips and notes
Fruit: Fresh berries and cherries work best for this recipe. I used sweet cherries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries. You can use any combination that you have on hand. Cherries should be pitted and halved,larger strawberries should be halved or quartered. The other berries can stay whole.
Make ahead: This cake is best the day it is made. I do not recommend making it too far in advance. If you have to make it in ahead, I recommend only a few hours in advance.
Baking: While baking some of the berries and cherries will sink down into the cake batter. Don’t stress about it – this is a rustic dessert!
Serve warm: Spoon cakes are best fresh from the oven or slightly warm.
Don’t skip the topping: A scoop of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or drizzle of custard pairs beautifully with the warm cake.
Recipe variations
This recipe is a larger version of my lemon blueberry spoon cake. In this variation, I’ve reduced the amount of lemon to let the buttery cake, vanilla, berries, and cherries really shine. Feel free to experiment with different fruits, but I highly recommend using fresh fruit rather than frozen for the best texture and flavor.
Recipe
Cherry Berry Spoon Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 cup (226g) salted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup (156ml) milk, room temperature
- finely grated zest of one medium lemon
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250g) all purpose flour, spooned and leveled or weighed
- 2¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt, double if using unsalted butter
Fruit:
- 4 generous cups (approx 500g) fresh cherries and fresh mixed berries, see note
- 1-2 tablespoons granulated sugar, adjust based on the sweetness of your fruit
- vanilla ice cream, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F with a rack in the center of the oven. Lightly grease a 9×13 pan. Set aside.
Cake:
- Whisk melted butter, sugar, milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Sprinkle the flour, baking powder, and salt over the top. Whisk until combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth into an even layer.
Fruit:
- Combine the berries, cherries, and sugar. Gently spoon the fruit over the cake batter into an even layer. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out without raw batter on it. The edges will be golden and some of the berries will have burst.
- Place on a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm, spooned into bowls, alongside vanilla ice cream.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
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