Is Cherry Cake Acidic or Alkaline?
Cherry cake (baked) is slightly acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
Cherry cake is just barely acid-forming at +0.8. The cherries bring potassium, but the flour and eggs in the batter provide a bit more protein and phosphorus than the fruit can offset. For a cake, that is still a mild value. A slice with a thick fruit layer does better than one with lots of crust and streusel. The value says nothing about sugar.
In the Sweets & Snacks category, cherry cake (baked) ranks #48 of 91, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Black forest cake (+0.8), Frozen yogurt (+0.7), Brownie (+0.7). More acid-forming are Marshmallows (+0.9), Donut (+1.2), Snickers (+1.3).
Acidic or alkaline: PRAL, not pH
On this site, acidic and alkaline refer to the PRAL (potential renal acid load). It estimates what a food leaves behind once it has been digested: a positive value is acid-forming, a negative value is alkalizing. That is different from the pH of the food itself: a lemon tastes sour, yet its PRAL is −4.0, so it is alkalizing. Your diet does not change your blood pH. It does change how much acid your kidneys have to deal with.
What balances cherry cake
A small serving (40 g) of cherry cake adds +0.3 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is cherry cake acidic?
It depends on what you mean by acidic. The pH describes the food itself, for example how sour it tastes. The PRAL describes what it leaves behind after digestion: Cherry cake (baked) has a PRAL of +0.8 per 100 g, so it counts as slightly acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
Do I have to avoid cherry cake on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Cherry cake is slightly acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Cherry Cake logged, balance checked.
Basentracker adds up every meal automatically and shows whether your day is in the alkaline range. The same values as on this page, all 977 foods, photo scan, recipes.
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Compare all Sweets & Snacks: Sweets & Snacks table. Common questions are answered in Acidic or Alkaline?, and the PRAL calculator adds up a whole meal.
Source: Basentracker food database (PRAL according to Remer & Manz, calculated from protein, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium per 100 g). This information does not replace medical advice.