Chocolate Cherry Cake

About This Chocolate Cherry Cake Recipe

Our recipe for cherry chocolate cake leverages one of the best loved flavor combinations in desserts and does so boldly.

At first glance it appears to be double chocolate or triple chocolate cake, depending on whether you use both dark and semi-sweet choc chips for the glaze (an easy ganache) or use the same type. But once you count our secret ingredient it becomes an elegantly flavored quadruple chocolate cake - a delight for the palate. 

Whenever we want to amplify the chocolate presence in a dessert we often fall back on the robust flavors of a chocolate ale, derived from especially roasted malts, such as those used in many porters and stouts. Chocolate malt is responsible for the dark cocoa-like character of porters and stouts. We also make sure to use brown sugar, which when baked into a batter boosts cocoa. All the dark sweet flavors contrast with the slightly tart flavor of the cherries.

More Notes on the Ingredients

Cake flour. Because it has less gluten it will give the cake a lighter texture. All-purpose flour will work as well, be sure to not overmix the batter.

Cocoa powder/cacao. Use either cacao powder (higher in protein, fiber, magnesium and iron) or unsweetened cocoa (more affordable). Here is which is which.

Olive oil. It will keep the cake moist (pure healthy fat vs butter which contains water that dries out during baking). A fruity extra virgin one is our recommendation. 

Milk stout/milk. Our top choice for this cake is the popular stout style brewed with lactose. Low to no-bitterness, sweetness from the added lactose which is a non-fermentable sugar and stays in the ale, and tons of chocolate nuances. Milk stouts are very easy to find, you can even grab a single can at Trader Joe's for almost nothing, but you can also go with most stouts, porters, English brown ales brewed with chocolate malt. You can literally taste the difference when a stout or other chocolatey ale is added. If you choose not use a stout at all, then simply add milk and enjoy a triple chocolate cherry cake:). 

Cherry pie filling. Use the kind without any sugar added. It is moderately sweet, due to the fruit's sweetness alone, and balances out the sweet party of the sugars. 

Chocolate chips. Use any you have on hand, but if you fold in dark chocolate in the batter their stronger taste pops.

Other ingredients. While you can use regular table sugar only, we like to substitute with part dark brown sugar to enhance the chocolate notes in the batter. Large eggs, baking soda and powder, a bit of vanilla extract or almond extract and heavy cream for the ganache complete the list of what you need. 

Bundt Pan Cake or Sheet Pan Cake?

• You can put this cake in the oven using either a 10 cup or a 12 cup bundt pan. The 10 cup bundt pan actually holds about 6 cups of batter (known as bakable capacity) and the 12 cup bundt pan holds about 7 cups of batter. 
• If you want to bake it as a sheet cake a standard 9x13 inch baking pan will be perfect size-wise.
• Finally, if you feel like creating a standard looking cake, the batter is sufficient for two 9 inch round cake pans. Then decorate with the chocolate ganache and more cherry pie filling. 

TIP: A silicone bundt pan such as the one you see us use in this post makes the unmolding of the bundt cake a breeze.

How to Make Chocolate Cherry Cake - Workflow

The steps to baking this chocolate cherry cake are pretty standard as you can see above from the step-by-step image sequence.

Mix the wet ingredients. Whisk together the sugars and oil, add the eggs and the stout. 

Mix the dry ingredients & combine. In a large mixing bowl stir the dry ingredients, then add the wet and mix together. Fold in the cherries and chocolate chips. 

Bake. Transfer the chocolate cake batter to a cooking spray treated or otherwise greased baking pan (bundt, sheet, cake pans for layer cake). Bake, test with a toothpick for doneness. Then allow to cool down onto a wire rack.

Make the chocolate frosting. Heat heavy cream and add a couple of ounces of chocolate chips, allow them to melt. 

Helpful Tips

• Mix the two types of sugar well before you start adding the olive oil, beaten eggs and other wet ingredients. Dark brown sugar tends to clump so make sure it is is thoroughly combined with the table sugar. 
• Make sure the milk stout is at room temperature - it will be integrated easier. 
• Pick out only the cherries from the can of cherry pie filling to fold into the batter (best you can). 
• Do not overmix the batter once you add the dry ingredients to the wet, especially if you are not using pastry flour (cake flour). To that end do not use an electric mixer.
• When making the chocolate ganache, leave the semi-sweet choc chips in the hot heavy cream for a minute before you begin stirring. 
• Serve with vanilla ice cream for extra decadent dessert.

TIP: Once the ganache has solidified a little bit you can drizzle the juices from the cherry pie filling over the cake for a striking color contrast as well as a flavor one - hints of fruity tartness (if you used unsweetened filling as recommended).