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    Recipes » Recipes

    Gluten-Free Vegan Cherry Bakewell Cake

    Last updated - July 15, 2021; Published - April 23, 2017 By Rhian Williams 20 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This Gluten-Free Vegan Cherry Bakewell Cake is easy to make, tastes every bit as delicious as the traditional version, and is surprisingly healthy!

    Gluten-Free Vegan Cherry Bakewell Cake

    Cherry Bakewell tart has always been a firm favourite of mine, but I do find it a little too sweet - the layers of jam, frangipane, icing, the glacé cherries, it's all a bit much.

    And, since having finally mastered a vegan and gluten-free sponge recipe, I tried using the batter to make a plain vanilla sponge cake, which ended up tasting surprisingly delicious. This was especially thanks to the sweet, nutty flavour of the ground almonds, which are used to make the sponge moist and fluffy.

    This got me thinking about what cakes taste of almonds, and I immediately thought of cherry Bakewells!

    Gluten-Free Vegan Cherry Bakewell Cake

    Whilst I made a round cake the first time I made these, I then decided it might be fun to cut them into squares and make them into brownies...or blondies? But you can either bake these into brownies or a round cake, your choice!

    Instead of jam and glacé cherries, I went for dried sour cherries - their tart-sweet flavour is so delicious paired with the nutty sweetness of the almonds.

    You can of course use glacé cherries instead, or other dried fruits such as dried strawberries or dried cranberries. Or fresh cherries or fresh raspberries would also work well I think!

    Gluten-Free Vegan Cherry Bakewell Cake

    I then topped them off with some flaked almonds. I love the contrasting textures of the tender sponge and chewy dried cherries with the crunchy, toasty flaked almonds.

    What's great about this recipe is how easy it is to make, requiring just one bowl and easily accessible ingredients. Leftovers are particularly nice heated up in the microwave, on top of the toaster or in a frying pan.

    Gluten-Free Vegan Cherry Bakewell Cake

    I hope you'll love this Gluten-Free Vegan Cherry Bakewell Cake! Looking for more fruity cakes? You might like my:

    • Raspberry Dark Chocolate Blondies
    • Lemon Blueberry Cake
    • Strawberry Sponge Layer Cake
    • Black Forest Cake

    If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

    Helpful tools to make this Gluten-Free Vegan Cherry Bakewell Cake:

    glass mixing bowl

    measuring jug

    square baking tin

    baking paper

    Gluten-Free Vegan Cherry Bakewell Cake

    Gluten-Free Vegan Cherry Bakewell Cake

    This Gluten-Free Vegan Cherry Bakewell Cake is easy to make, tastes every bit as delicious as the traditional version, and is surprisingly healthy! 
    4.08 from 27 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: British
    Keyword: gluten-free vegan cherry bakewell cake, refined sugar free cherry bakewell cake, vegan afternoon tea cake recipe
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Servings: 12 squares
    Calories: 250kcal
    Author: Rhian Williams

    Ingredients

    • 60 g (¼ cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
    • 200 ml (⅘ cup) unsweetened almond milk (or sub any other plant-based milk)
    • Juice of 1 lemon*
    • 8 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • Pinch of salt
    • 150 g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds** (almond meal)
    • 150 g (1 ¼ cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
    • 2 heaped teaspoons baking power (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
    • ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
    • 60 g (½ cup) dried sour cherries*** (or sub dried cranberries or dried strawberries)
    • Few tablespoons flaked almonds
    • 1 tablespoon coconut sugar (optional)

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit)
    • Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil)
    • Once melted, add the milk to the same bowl along with the lemon juice, maple syrup, vanilla, salt and ground almonds
    • Sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda
    • Add the dried cherries and mix well, adding a tiny splash more milk if it's looking too dry
    • Transfer mixture to a greased baking tin lined with baking paper - I used a 23cm/9inch square baking tin
    • Scatter over flaked almonds (and coconut sugar if using)
    • Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown on top and an inserted skewer comes out clean 
    • Leave to cool before cutting into squares
    • Keeps well covered in the fridge for up to a few days. Best reheated in the microwave, on top of the toaster or in a frying pan

    Notes

    *The lemon juice is crucial as its acidity needs to react with the alkali bicarbonate of soda to make the sponge fluffy. If you don't want to use lemon juice, substitute with 1 tablespoon vinegar instead
    **You can also alternatively use almond flour
    ***Fresh cherries or raspberries would also work well
    Nutrition Facts
    Gluten-Free Vegan Cherry Bakewell Cake
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 250
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Made the recipe?Tag @rhiansrecipes on instagram and use the hashtag #rhiansrecipes!

    Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Maureen Cram

      January 30, 2019 at 11:03 am

      5 stars
      Just wanted to check the amount of lemon juice as lemons can vary in size and juice content. Is it the same amount of LJ as it would be for the vinegar replacement (one Tablespoon) ? Making these for a dinner party where I am doing a three course menu of vegan GF food :).

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        January 30, 2019 at 11:56 am

        Yay thank you so much, so glad you want to make these for your dinner party! It's 2 tablespoons lemon juice, or 1 tablespoon vinegar. Hope that helps and enjoy your party!

    2. Gaynor Murray

      May 09, 2019 at 12:07 pm

      can these be frozen?

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        May 09, 2019 at 12:29 pm

        Yes!

    3. Arianne

      December 19, 2019 at 7:43 pm

      I am thinking of making this for Christmas! I have some frozen cherries. Could I use those for this recipe?

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        December 20, 2019 at 2:36 am

        Yes that would work! Thank you!

    4. Sandy

      May 13, 2020 at 9:33 pm

      5 stars
      This is my absolute favorite cake recipe, and I have made it repeatedly. Something to note, though: Your directions say to bake for 20 minutes, but it takes 40-45 minutes in my oven at 350° F.

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        May 14, 2020 at 1:08 pm

        Thank you so much, so happy to hear that!! And that's great to know about the timing, thank you. Are you using a different size baking tin?

    5. Ruth

      May 30, 2020 at 10:25 am

      5 stars
      This was a really easy and very successful recipe. I made it with fresh raspberries and pear and it was delicious. Will definitely look at your other vegan and gluten free recipes now!

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        May 30, 2020 at 1:30 pm

        Thank you so much, so happy to hear that!

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    Photo of Rhian Williams from Rhian's Recipes

    Hi, I'm Rhian! I make easy, undetectably vegan + gluten-free recipes, including healthy comfort food and naturally sweetened desserts using plant-based ingredients.

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