A Shirley Temple Cake is a nostalgic dessert inspired by the classic non-alcoholic drink made with grenadine, ginger ale, and cherries. The cake version is sweet, pink, and often topped with cherries for that signature look.
Here’s a simple, classic version you can make at home:
🍰 Shirley Temple Cake (Easy Homemade Version)
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup butter (softened)
- 1¾ cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup grenadine syrup (gives the pink color and flavor)
For the glaze:
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- 2–3 tbsp milk
- 1–2 tbsp grenadine
- Maraschino cherries (for topping)
👩🍳 Instructions
1. Prep
Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease and flour a bundt pan or cake pan.
2. Mix dry ingredients
In a bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Cream butter & sugar
Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add eggs & vanilla
Mix in eggs one at a time, then add vanilla.
5. Combine
Alternate adding dry mixture and milk into the batter. Stir gently.
6. Add the Shirley Temple flavor
Mix in the grenadine syrup. The batter should turn a soft pink.
7. Bake
Pour into pan and bake for 40–50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
🍒 Glaze & finish
- Mix powdered sugar, milk, and a splash of grenadine until smooth
- Drizzle over cooled cake
- Top with maraschino cherries
🍓 What it tastes like
Light vanilla cake with a subtle fruity cherry flavor—sweet, soft, and slightly nostalgic, like the drink it’s named after.
If you want, I can also show you a more old-fashioned 1950s-style Shirley Temple punch cake version or a pink layer cake version for birthdays.
