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CPA: Certified Pastry Aficionado

Cherry Almond Pastry Cake

cake· doughnuts and sweet rolls· Easter· Holiday Favorites· pastries
October 16, 2023

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Cherry Almond Pastry Cake – Cherry almond cream is rolled into puff pastry and formed into a cake and baked to perfection.

cherry almond pastry cake with a wedge removed

Pastry is such a fun medium to work with. And with frozen puff pastry so readily available and easy to work with, there is no reason not to incorporate it more into your baking adventures.

I am guilty of not using frozen puff pastry as much as I should. Most of my experience with it is in basic recipes like turnovers or other classic recipes. But when I saw this recipe for a pastry cake, I was eager to try it out and expand my exposure to quick and easy pastry recipes.

I took a recipe I saw for a pastry cake and switched it up a little by using dried cherries instead of raisins. I also added some gorgeous toasted almonds on top to make the cake extra fancy.

Here is my Cherry Almond Pastry Cake!

overhead shot of a full cherry almond pastry cake without slices removed
side view of cherry almond pastry cake

Tips & Tricks

  1. Soaking the cherries is important. The cherries will plump up when soaked in the apple juice. This is important to get the texture just right for this pastry cake.
  2. Don’t let the pastry get too warm. When working with the raw pastry, it will easier to do if it’s still a little cold. Once it starts to warm up, the butter leaches out and makes the process messy.
  3. Let the pastry turn deep golden brown. Do not remove the cake from the oven until the top has turned a deep golden brown. Pastry tastes better when it’s browned. Otherwise, it will be raw in the center.
Print Recipe

Cherry Almond Pastry Cake

Servings: 1 8-inch cake

Ingredients

For the pastry cake:
  • 1 cup dried cherries
  • ½ cup apple juice
  • 1 sheet frozen puff pastry thawed (7 ounces)
  • 1 tablespoon coarse sugar
  • 1 cup almond cream recipe below
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 3-4 tablespoons heavy cream
  • ¼ cup sliced almonds toasted
For the almond cream:
  • ½ cup unsalted butter softened
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons almond flour

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8-inch cake pan or springform pan. Set aside.
  • Place dried cherries in a small sauce pan with apple juice. Stir to combine. Set over medium heat until simmering. Turn off heat and let sit for 30 minutes. In the meantime, make the almond cream (recipe below). Cover and refrigerate until needed. Once the cherries are done, drain out the excess juice.
  • Roll out the thawed pastry into a 16×10 rectangle. Slice into 4 strips (4inches x 10 inches each). Using on strip at a time, spread ¼ cup of almond cream into an even layer over the pastry. Lay ¼ cup of cherries along the bottom long edge of the pastry. Starting at the edge with the cherries, roll the pastry into a log. Repeat with 3 other pastry rectangles.
  • Starting at one edge of the pastry log, tuck into a pinwheel/spiral, making sure not to spiral too tightly. Place pinwheel in the center of the prepared 8-inch pan. Grab another pastry log and continue the spiral using the next log of pastry. Repeat with last 2 rectangles of pastry to finish off the cake.
  • Whisk an egg with 1 teaspoon of water. Brush mixture over the top. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake in preheated oven until the pastry turns a deep golden brown on top, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and place on serving plate.
  • Prepare the icing by mixing powdered sugar and heavy cream together. Add a little more cream if needed, to ensure the mixture can be drizzled. Drizzle over the cake and sprinkle with toasted sliced almonds. Slice and serve.
For the almond cream:
  • Add butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Cream until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add orange zest and vanilla bean paste and combine. Add eggs, one at a time and then finish with almond flour. Mix just until combined. Cover and refrigerate until ready for use.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Victorian Magazine

Pin for later:

pin for cherry almond pastry cake

More recipes you’ll love:

Cherry Almond Soufflé
close up of cherry almond couffle with a spoonful exposing the center
Guava Cream Cheese Pastry Braid
Guava Cream Cheese Pastry Braid cut into slices on parchment paper with a spoon of guava jelly on it, shot from a side angle
Amaretto Baba Cake
overhead shot of finish amaretto baba cake before slicing

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24 Comments

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Comments

  1. Nafees Dembri says

    October 30, 2025 at 1:01 am

    This Cherry Almond Pastry Cake looks absolutely divine — the golden puff pastry paired with that sweet cherry almond cream sounds like bakery-level perfection! I love the idea of soaking the cherries in apple juice for extra flavor and texture — such a thoughtful touch. 🍒✨

    Pastry recipes like this are my favorite to bookmark for cozy weekends or creative baking sessions (especially while catching up on my favorite Anilab https://anilabanime.com/ anime episodes — perfect chill-day combo!).

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  10. Emre says

    November 13, 2023 at 7:16 am

    I liked it very much thank you

    Reply
  11. Hayley says

    October 23, 2023 at 3:55 am

    Love a good pastry that is also easy to make at home too! Such a delicious pastry. We enjoyed it for afternoon tea.

    Reply
  12. Lauren Michael Harris says

    October 22, 2023 at 4:03 pm

    This cherry pastry turned out so good! I have been enjoying it with coffee in the morning, and sometimes in the afternoon too! Will definitely make again!

    Reply
  13. Jacqueline Debono says

    October 22, 2023 at 1:39 pm

    This is a fabulous recipe. I love the idea of making pastries as a cake and the combo of cherries and almond cream is so good!

    Reply
  14. Cathleen says

    October 20, 2023 at 8:37 pm

    I am obsessed with the look of this cake! I can’t resist a good pastry, so I know that I am just going to devour these. Thank you so much for sharing, pinned to make this weekend 🙂

    Reply
  15. Jessica says

    October 20, 2023 at 1:22 pm

    This looks like the perfect brunch recipe for my ladies group! I’ve been looking for something with some Fall pizazz to enjoy and the cherries will be just perfect. Thanks for the tips and lovely recipe.

    Reply
  16. Tammy says

    October 20, 2023 at 12:25 pm

    I’m craving this right now. What a beautiful pastry…once the weather turns like this I crave a warm pastry in the morning with my coffee. I have to make this…beautiful recipe!

    Reply
  17. Gianne says

    October 18, 2023 at 12:55 am

    Two of my favorite on one cake, cherries and almonds. Totally my new favotite.

    Reply
  18. Dina and Bruce says

    October 17, 2023 at 9:52 pm

    We are making this over the weekend. Love cherries!

    Reply
  19. Irena says

    October 17, 2023 at 8:00 pm

    This was delicious and perfect for using up my leftover puff pastry. We enjoyed it for afternoon tea yesterday.

    Reply
  20. Anjali says

    October 17, 2023 at 7:50 pm

    This was such a delicious pastry and was surprisingly easy to make at home!! We enjoyed it for brunch – my whole family loved it!

    Reply
  21. Colleen says

    October 17, 2023 at 5:43 pm

    I love the combo of cherry and almond! So excited to make this unique and beautiful dessert. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  22. Krysten says

    October 17, 2023 at 4:02 pm

    I recently tried this Cherry Almond Pastry Cake and it was an absolute delight! The combination of the sweet cherries, nutty almond cream, and the crunch of sliced almonds created a heavenly balance of flavors and textures. Perfect for a cozy, sweet treat that’s both elegant and comforting.

    Reply
  23. Dennis says

    October 17, 2023 at 2:59 pm

    Your cherry pastry was the hit of the evening at my wife’s book club, everyone loved it!

    Reply

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Hi, my name is Sharon. I’m an accountant by day, risk-taking baker and food enthusiast by night. Come join me as I share my favorite recipes and test out new ones along the way!

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