Chocolate Cherry Cake

Chocolate Cherry Cake is an easy cake recipe that starts with a cake mix and canned cherry pie filling, and topped with a fudgy chocolate frosting. You won't believe how delicious and easy this is to make!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cherry chocolate cake with cherry pie filling, chocolate cherry cake, chocolate cherry cake with a cake mix

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Cooling Time 2

Total Time 2 40

Servings servings

Calories 253kcal

Author Jessica

Ingredients

Chocolate Cherry Cake

1 box (15.25 oz) Devil's Food Cake Mix
1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract

Chocolate Frosting

1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup whole milk
5 tablespoons butter I use salted butter
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Garnishes (optional)

Hershey Chocolate Bar for chocolate shavings
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
additional cherry pie filling
spray whipped cream or Cool Whip instead of homemade whipped cream

Instructions

Heat oven to 350°. Prepare a 9x13 baking dish and spray with cooking spray.
In a mixing bowl, combine the dry cake mix (do not prepare according to package instructions), canned cherry pie filling, eggs, and almond extract. Beat together with a handheld blender for 1-2 minutes until combined well.
*Alternately, you can use the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment
Pour into the prepared baking dish and evenly spread it out. Cook for 30-35 minutes or until center is done and not jiggly anymore. Edges will be pulled away from the baking dish as well. Use a toothpick inserted in the center to make sure there is no wet batter.
About 5 minutes before cake is done prepare the chocolate frosting. Combine sugar, milk, and butter into a saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil and let boil, while stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and stir in the chocolate chips. Mix until melted and everything is combined.
Immediately after the cake comes out of the oven, pour the chocolate frosting over the cake and smoot it out.
Let cake sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours so the icing can harden and set up.
Serve as is or garnish with whipped cream, extra cherry pie filling, and chocolate curls (like shown in pictures). To make the homemade whipped cream, combine the heavy cream and powdered sugar into a small bowl. Beat on low speed, gradually increasing to high speed as cream thickens, until thick and stiff peaks form.

Notes

It is so important to make sure the cake is fully cooked through! Otherwise, it will sink in the middle and the frosting will just make it collapse. The cake should not be "jiggly" at all when you take it out of the oven. Use a toothpick inserted into the middle to make sure that no wet mixture comes out on the toothpick. The toothpick should come out with crumbs or nothing at all. The sides of the cake will be puffy and pulled away from the baking dish.

Mine was done at 32 minutes. Regardless of the bake time given in the recipe, please cook it longer if needed to make sure it's cooked all the way. Or cook it shorter if your oven is just really amazing :)

This can be made ahead of time too. Make the cake as directed and frost it. Once the frosting and cake have cooled completely, cover it with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature overnight. Garnish the cake (if wanted) right before serving.

Nutrition information is for one piece of cake with frosting. It does not include the optional garnishes.

Nutrition