Make a deliciously moist Chocolate Cherry Cake, perfect for any occasion. My family has been making this cake recipe since the 1960's, and it is, without a doubt, my favorite chocolate cake! Whip up the most magical 2-ingredient frosting, and spread it over the warm cake, before decorating it with sprinkles and cherries! Scroll down to find the list of ingredients, full step-by-step instructions, with the video! Enjoy a slice of this rich chocolaty cake, as a celebration, for family dinners, or just for yourself!
Find here the Drill Hand Mixer Electric Attachments Set that I used in the video for making the cake batter. These attachments are specially made to fit securely in a cordless drill. Please, do not use regular hand blender attachments in power tools. Use your regular hand blender or stand mixer with a paddle attachement and enjoy making this delicious cake recipe.
If you're in a baking mood, try more of my recipes like my Banana Bread Recipe Without Butter, Cherry Scones, or Orange Croissant Breakfast Bake.
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Ingredients
Find below the list of ingredients I used to make this Chocolate Cherry Cake.
- Butter
- Sugar
- Egg
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Maraschino Cherries in Syrup
- Sour Cream
- Sprinkles (optional decoration)
See recipe card for quantities.
Bake the Chocolate Cherry Cake
Start by preheating your oven to 325F. Lightly grease, either a 9" deep dish pie plate, or a 9"x9" baking pan.
Add the softened butter and the sugar to a large bowl. Use a hand mixer to cream the two until light in color.
Crack the egg into the creamed mixture and blend it in until well combined.
Pour the melted chocolate into the butter mixture and mix until smooth. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl when mixing for a uniform batter.
Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt into a small bowl. Add the flour mixture in 4 additions, alternating with the milk. Make sure to start and finish with the flour.
Add the cherry syrup and the chopped maraschino cherries to the cake batter. Fold them in until smooth.
Pour the batter into the lightly greased baking pan. Place the pan into the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Make the Frosting
To make the frosting you will need a microwave safe bowl or container.
Place the sour cream in a microwave safe bowl and add in the finely chopped chocolate. Stir the two together.
Microwave the mixture on high for 30 seconds. Stir well and then microwave for another 30 seconds. Stir again, making sure that all the chocolate has melted into the sour cream.
Spread the icing on the slightly cooled cake. The beauty of this frosting is that it will not melt if spread on top of a warm cake, which makes for an amazing cake eating experience! YUM! Decorate with more maraschino cherries and your preferred sprinkles, making sure to leave room for candles!
Substitutions and Variations
- Dairy - Replace the butter with the same amount of shortening or margarine. Substitute the milk in the recipe with plant based like almond or soy milk.
- Adding Nuts - Add ½ cup of chopped walnuts when folding in the chopped maraschino cherries to the batter.
Even if your reader doesn't follow a specific diet (eg. gluten free), they may have friends or family that they're cooking for that could use this. This is also a great idea to link out to another blogger with a similar recipe that fits a different die
Storage
Store any leftover Chocolate Cherry Cake in an airtight container and place in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Place in the freezer for up to a month.
Recipe
Chocolate Cherry Cake
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter softened
- ¾ cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 large Egg
- 2 oucnes Semi Sweet Chocolate melted and cooled to body temp
- 1½ cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Milk
- ⅓ cup Maraschino Cherries finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon Maraschino Syrup
Icing Ingredients
- 1 cup Sour Cream
- 6 ounces Semi Sweet Chocolate finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
Baking the Cake
- Start by preheating your oven to 325F. Lightly grease, either a 9" deep dish pie plate, or a 9"x9" baking pan.
- Add the softened butter and the sugar to a large bowl. Use a hand mixer to cream the two until light in color. Add the egg and mix again until smooth.
- Pour the melted chocolate into the butter mixture and mix until smooth. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl when mixing for a uniform batter.
- Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt into a small bowl. Add the flour mixture in 4 additions, alternating with the milk. Make sure to start and finish with the flour.
- Add the cherry syrup and the chopped maraschino cherries to the cake batter. Fold them in until smooth.
- Pour the batter into the lightly greased baking pan. Place the pan into the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Making the Sour Cream Frosting
- To make the frosting you will need a microwave safe bowl or container.
- Place the sour cream in a microwave safe bowl and add in the finely chopped chocolate. Stir the two together.
- Microwave the mixture on high for 30 seconds. Stir well and then microwave for another 30 seconds. Stir again, making sure that all the chocolate has melted into the sour cream. Keep stirring, the residual heat from the microwave safe bowl will gently bring the frosting together.
- Stir the vanilla extract into the smooth icing and let the icing cool down slightly before spreading on the cake.
Assembling the Chocolate Cherry Cake
- Due to the nature of the frosting, you do not have to wait for the cake to cool completely before icing it. Spread the icing evenly over the cake.
- Decorate the cake with some extra maraschino cherries. Brighten up the cake for birthdays with sprinkle, candles, or other decorations.
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