Cherry Pie Cream Cheese Cake
Taking the cake game to new heights (and new flavors), and baking a cake with a crust. That’s right - a solid + crispy crust baked into each cake layer that gives a little “snap” when you cut into it. In this case, I baked a solid + crisp graham cracker crust that added a buttery, crumbly base for each individual cake layer. Baked to be perfectly solid on the bottom, like any good graham cracker crust is, and it’s like the support for a light + airy cake layer.
This go around, I paired my new cake trick with the cream cheese cake recipe I’ve played with before (one that I love!), and gave the cake an iconic cherry pie twist. Whipped up a classic cherry pie filling + my favorite cream cheese buttercream, and got out my most patriotic decorating supplies, and the result - a Cherry Pie Cream Cheese Cake that gave all the Americana vibes. And it was a highlight of our 4th of July weekend. A delightful, sweet, and tasty cake modeled after a classic pie - gooey cherry pie filling and all. The sweet fruit filling is balanced with tangy cream cheese notes in the cake + the frosting, but still felt classic enough to make me reminiscent of all the family get togethers where a store bough cherry pie was present (a staple of my childhood!). Needless to say, there are a few leftover slices hidden in my freezer, and they’re pretty darn coveted here at our house.
I also want to give a special shout out to the fact that it looks like patriotic Barbie whipped up this bad boy - and at first I was regretting my color + sprinkle choice, but I’m kind of living for all it’s “extra” energy. It’s fun. It’s on theme. We love it!
So iconic
I grew up LOVING cherry pie, and that filling was what my little taste buds were after. That sweet, gooey, and thick filling with tender, juicy cherries - it was my dessert of choice back in the day. Pretty sure I’ve eaten lots of Marie Calendar’s cherry pie slices at family functions, and that’s a fact my parents can speak to. It’s a flavor that’s pretty engrained. I sought after this dessert as a kid,, but I’ve never had the same hankering in my adult life, and not once ever even thought of making a cherry pie. I will say that transformed into a very Americana dessert felt pretty special + nostalgic, and brought back lots of memories as a little dessert connoisseur.
The filling has to be spot on, because a cherry pie filling is iconic. Thick + sweet + the perfect red hue. This cake filling has all of that. Emphasis on the sweet - there just no getting around that it’s a sugary sweet filling. With thick cream cheese cake layers + a graham cracker crust, it’s the perfect dose of something fruity. The cherry nuggets in each forkful are juicy + delicious, and a welcomed addition to this cake.
It’s a 4th of July cake + it’s clear
Sometimes cakes should be fun + whimsical + a little over the top. A 4th of July cake felt like an appropriate time to have an over the top cake. Admittedly - might have gotten a little to heavy handed with sprinkles on the top, but I stand by the sprinkle coated siding + piping work.
This was also a fun cake to do a little piping practice on. I’m going to say it looked a little rough + ready, but it was a fun + festive little project to dive into.
Graham cracker heaven
This cake was my first adventure in graham cracker crusted cakes, and it was honestly fun to make. There is something satisfying about pressing a crumbly graham cracker crust into the pan - forming it into a solid layer. Just like you would for graham cracker crusted pie, you pre-bake the crust for a bit to get it going on its journey to become firm + solid. base. Works seamlessly with this cake bake.
I love pretty much any dessert with a graham cracker layer. It’s buttery + crunchy + decadent, and I love the sweet graham cracker flavor, and it was fun to get that in a cake. I know graham cracker crusts aren’t necessarily emblematic of cherry pies, but it works. The buttery + crunchy characteristics are perfect for breaking up the flavors of the soft + rich buttercream and sticky sweet cherry pie filling.
4th of July looked really different for us. It’s usually a big party for my mother-in-laws birthday, but she is so so sick with pneumonia, and pneumonia during the Summer is a freaking crime. It meant a quiet day at home for us and the dogs, and another year where I’m quickly reminded that pet care is key on the 4th of July - the chiweenies are not fans of the fireworks. But with the slight adjustment to our holiday plans, we made the most of it, spent our weekend mingling with friends, and made the best of a Monday holiday with this classic cake + the OG Top Gun. So sweet, so American, and a nice holiday with our little family
For the graham cracker crust
25 full graham cracker sheets, pulsed so the consistency is like pebbles
3/4 c. butter, melted
For the cake
3 c. flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
8 ounces of cream cheese, at room temp
1 c. canola oil
1 3/4 c. granulated sugar
1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
3 eggs room temp
1 c. buttermilk
For the cherry pie filling
1 can of tart cherries in water + 1/2 c liquid from the can
1/2 c. sugar
2 Tbsp corn starch
1 tbsp lemon juice
For the cream cheese buttercream
3 c. unsallted butter (3 sticks), room temp
8 oz. cream cheese, room temp
12 c. powdered sugar, sifted
6 tbsp heavy whipping cream
2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
red, white + blue sprinkles
Preheat the oven to 325. Oil + flour 3-6 inch cake pans, and line each with parchment. Set aside.
In a food processor, combine the graham cracker crusts + melted butter. Pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand. Separate the mixture evenly amongst the three cake pans, and press firmly into the bottom and barely up the sides of the pan so that a thick layer of crust forms. Bake for 5-10 minutes so they’re just lightly browned.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In the bowl of the stand mixer, cream together the cream cheese, oil and sugar. Add in the vanilla and mix in on medium speed. Add in the eggs one a time, and continue mixing on medium speed until totally incorporated. Alternate adding in the flour mixture and buttermilk - half of each at time - and when totally added in mix on medium-high for another 3-4 minutes. Separate the batter amongst the 3 pans and bake for 40-45 minutes.
White the cake bakes, make the cherry filling. Combine all of the ingredients for the filling in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer boil and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly - you’ll notice the mixture thicken quickly. Boil for a total of 5-8 minutes, remove from the heat, and let cool at room temp for at least an hour. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for at least a day so it can firm up.
When the cakes have baked completely, remove from the oven and let them cool in the cake pans at room temp for 20-30 minutes, then remove the cakes from the pan, letting them continue to cool on a rack for another 45-60 minutes. Level the cakes, so cut them so they do not have a domed top. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in the freezer to firm up.
To make the frosting, which you should only do when you’re getting close to baking, add the butter + cream cheese to the stand mixer, mixing at medium speed for about 1 minute. Add in the powdered sugar (slowly to avoid making a huge mess), and once all is incorporated add in the cream, vanilla, + salt. Increase the speed to medium high, and mix for 5 minutes. It should be light + fluffy. Separate out at least a third of the frosting, placing in a separate bowl to be colored red + blue later (keep in the fridge for later use). Add some to a piping bag, leaving the rest in the bowl for cake assembly.
Now assemble the cake.
Place a smear of buttercream on the cake tray and place the bottom cake layer right on top. Spread a thin layer of frosting over the cake, and pipe a thick ring of the buttercream. Spread a layer of the cherry filling on top.
Place the second layer right on top of the compote, and repeat Step 1.
Place the final cake layer on top, and dirty ice the cake. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Place an acrylic disk on top of the cake + continue with thoroughly icing the sides of the cake, leaving a bit of the buttercream to use to finish icing the top of the cake. When you’ve iced the sides of the cake, place back in the fridge for another 30 minutes.
Remove the acrylic disk gently, spread a smooth layer of buttercream right over the top. Use extra frosting to do some decorative piping on top and finish with some colorful sprinkles - a nice bit pressed into the sides of the cake and a light sprinkle on top. Dive in + enjoy.