Gluten Free Cherry Torte
This rustic gluten free cherry torte tucks a layer of fresh cherries into a batter made with three simple gluten free flours. It’s tender and buttery, perfect for summer mornings with a hot cup of coffee.
Gluten Free Cherry Torte Recipe
This gluten free cherry torte is a new favorite — a riff on Marion Burros’ plum torte recipe but made with cherries. The New York Times calls it “practically no-fail” and this is an accurate statement! I wanted this cake to taste similar to the original version, so I did a combination of flours including tapioca, a starchy flour. (Adding enough of a starchy flour will help a gluten-free cake have that nice fluffiness I love in cakes.) I balanced it with a little almond flour and teff flour, a lovely whole grain naturally gluten-free flour high in protein and calcium.
The result is a slightly rustic, not-too-sweet cake plump with ripe cherries and a hearty crumb. I served slices of cake when my neighbor dropped by for coffee. I’ve also eaten this warm, at room temperature, and straight from the fridge. While I’m partial to a warm, freshly baked slice of cake, each was perfect in its own way. When cold, the cherries form a jam-like layer at the bottom of the cake, which is really nice on a sunny summer morning.
What is a Torte?
A torte is a type of cake that originated in Germany, Austria, and Hungary (apparently the word torte means “cake” in Central/Eastern Europe!). What characterizes a torte (cake) is its texture – tortes tend to be a bit richer and denser than other cakes. They can be made with ground nuts or bread crumbs (!) rather than flour and often feature fruit, either fresh, as in this cherry torte, or with a jam layer. In my version of gluten free cherry torte I include almond flour in a nod to traditional torte recipes.
What You’ll Need
Here’s a quick glance at the ingredients needed to make this torte. The full ingredient amounts and detailed instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Cherries – I used fresh cherries in this cake, making the best use of the cherry season.
- Butter – Unsalted butter works best so it doesn’t compete with the sweetness of the cake.
- Granulated sugar
- Lemon – If possible use an organic lemon because you’ll use its zest.
- Lemon juice – Freshly squeezed lemon juice is best!
- Vanilla – Pure vanilla extract always gives the best flavor.
- Eggs – Most baking recipes are developed using large eggs, so make sure to use large eggs in this cake.
- Teff flour – Teff flour is a wonderful whole grain naturally gluten free flour. You can use light or dark teff flour. They both taste the same, but the color will be lighter or darker depending on which one you use.
- Tapioca flour – A lovely, starchy gluten free flour, tapioca flour brings lightness to this cake.
- Almond flour – You can use ground almonds or fine ground almond flour in this torte. I developed this recipe with almond flour but ground almonds will also work!
- Baking powder
- Salt – I always use fine sea salt in my recipes!
Recipe Tips and Tricks
I think you’ll love this simple cherry torte. Here are a few substitution ideas if needed, plus some tips:
- Teff flour alternative – Try sorghum flour or oat flour for the teff flour.
- Tapioca alternative – Substitute arrowroot for the tapioca,
- Almond flour – Try ground almonds or another nut flour for the almond flour.
- Make it dairy-free – Swap coconut oil for the butter or your favorite non-dairy butter.
Can I use Frozen Cherrries?
While I love the juicy texture of fresh cherries in this torte, you can use frozen cherries to good effect if you don’t have fresh cherries. You can either defrost the cherries first and drain them in a colander to remove any excess water or pop the frozen cherries into the cake instead of the fresh cherries called for.
How to Serve Gluten Free Cherry Torte
This cherry torte is wonderful served with a dollop of lightly sweetened or unsweetened homemade whipped cream, or try a scoop of vanilla ice cream. If you’re feeling extra decadent drizzle a little salted caramel sauce over each slice. Cherry torte is traditionally served with coffee, so go ahead and treat yourself to a strong cup or an espresso!
Storage Options
You have several options for how to store this cherry cake, and I’ve outlined them below:
- Counter – Cover the cake tightly with foil or place it in an airtight container and store it on the counter for up to 2 days.
- Fridge – The cake will keep, well wrapped or stored in an airtight container, in the fridge, for up to 5 days.
- Freezer – Wrap the cake in a layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the cake in the fridge before eating it.
More Gluten Free Fruit Recipes
Gluten-Free Cherry Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups sweet cherries, pitted, about 300 grams
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 organic lemon, zested
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup teff flour, 60 grams
- ⅓ cup tapioca flour, 50 grams
- ¼ cup almond flour, 30 grams
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Grease an 8-inch cake pan with butter or coconut oil and line it with a circle of parchment paper.
- Cut ½ cup of the cherries in half and set aside; quarter the rest and set aside separately.
- To make the cake: in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream together the butter and sugar for about three minutes, scraping down the bowl as necessary.
- Add the lemon zest and juice and vanilla extract. Whisk well to combine. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well to combine.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, and salt. Sift this mixture into the butter mixture and stir to combine. Fold the quartered cherries into the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Scatter the halved cherries across the top, facing down. Preheat oven to 350 F and let cake batter rest until the oven is heated.
- Place the cake in the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, the top springs back when gently pressed, and the edges are just starting to pull away from the pan. Remove from oven and let cool on a rack for 20 minutes in the pan, then run a knife around the edges and turn out onto the rack to cool completely.
- Let the cake completely cool before serving to set the crumb. Cake will keep, well wrapped in the fridge, for 5 days.