Chocolate Cherry Cake

[o'brien]

I recently printed off a great sounding recipe for chocolate cake that calls for adding a can of cherry pie filling. After buying all the ingredients, I find I have misplaced the recipe. If anyone is familiar with this recipe, I would appreciate having it posted again. I have a party planned for 8/30 and that was to be the dessert! Thanks in advance to anyone who can rescue me.

[lorilei]

I know there are a couple of versions of this cake, but here's one:

CHOCOLATE CHERRY CAKE

1 box chocolate fudge cake mix
1 21-oz. can cherry pie filling
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 tsp. almond extract

FROSTING
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup milk
5 tbsp. butter or margarine
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

In mixing bowl, stir together all cake ingredients. Pour the batter into a greased 9-by-13-inch cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

About 10 minutes before the cake is done, make the frosting. Bring sugar, milk and butter to a boil in saucepan. Cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips until melted. Pour over hot cake. Frosting will harden as it cools.

Serves 12

[o'brien]

Thank you so much for replying to my plea. I just got home from work and checked to see if anyone had replied. Thanks to you I can now proceed with my plans and get the cake ready tonight. Thanks a million!!

[CrystalB]

o'brien-
How did the cake turn out?

[o'brien]

I served this cake to my husband's poker group so there were 7 hungry men present. Those who tried it thought it was quite good. My husband and I thought it was good, but rich. I made it a day ahead because I work and had put it in the refrig. until time for the party. The frosting gets very hard if you do this and you need to let it get closer to room temp before trying to cut it or the frosting will crack.

[MaryH]

Yup another old thread (I figure most everthing been discussed at least once....)

I made this cake this evening. It's a great way to use up any cherries you have hanging about. The note cracks me up because I have a feeling I'll never know how much better this is after a few days. (DH will raid it at midnight tonight and there probably won't be a lot left.)

CHOCOLATE CHERRY CAKE SQUARES

The rich chocolate cherry flavor of this cake becomes more pronounced after a day or two.

Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 4 hr

3 cups fresh or frozen (not thawed) pitted sour cherries (1 lb)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup boiling-hot water
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened (I used 1.5 sticks, decreased the eggs to three, and added 1 cup buttermilk.)
1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Garnish: confectioners sugar

Toss fresh or frozen cherries and any juices with granulated sugar and almond extract in a bowl and let stand at least 2 hours. Drain cherries, reserving 1/2 cup cherry juices.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 13- by 9-inch metal baking pan, knocking out excess flour. Whisk hot water and cocoa powder in a small bowl until smooth, then whisk in reserved cherry juices and vanilla.

Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt into another bowl.

Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture and cocoa mixture alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing at low speed until blended (batter may look curdled).

Stir in cherries and chocolate chips and pour batter into pan, smoothing top. Bake in middle of oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool cake completely in pan on a rack, then cut into squares. Just before serving, dust with confectioners sugar.

Cooks' note:
• Cake can be made up to 3 days ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.

Makes 12 servings.

Gourmet
July 2003

[ellielk]

Thank you so much for this recipe. I have to bring a 'treat' for a co-worker's birthday and I just don't feel like going to a lot of trouble. This looks easy and will satisfy the chocoholics in our bunch.

If I'm feeling ambitious this weekend, and I don't have anything better to do, I'll make the Oreo chunk cookies as well - maybe with the chocolate/peanut butter Oreos I picked up by mistake.

[MaryH]

I tasted this last night after it baked and man oh man was it good. Very chocolaty.