Dig into this delicious Cherry Chocolate Cake filled with dark chocolate and made with almonds. This brings back extremely fond memories!
This cake is one of my sweetest childhood dessert memories. Which is not to say it is overly sweet - not at all actually.
I forgot about this cake for many years until I saw a glass of canned sour cherries in the grocery store shelf. Canned cherries were a baking staple for us growing up in Germany, but until a few weeks ago, I didn't know they were available in North America.
Please tell me you also can get you hands on canned cherries? So you can try this awesome cake? Let's get into it!
Great Memories and a Moist Cake with Tiny Dark Chocolate Pieces
It is a super moist cake! Ah I'm so excited to be making it for you and with you. Fond memories rock. Back to the cake. It uses about half almond meal/flour and it also has chocolate! Dark chocolate works best. But it has to be finer than chips, even smaller than mini chocolate chips.
In Germany, we hardly had any chocolate chips available anyway, so we grated a small block of dark chocolate or chopped it finely with a good, sharp knife (Alternatively, you could place chocolate chips/chunks in a food processor and pulse a few times. Don't process too long or the chocolate will melt due to the heat generated from the spinning).
Subtle Chocolate Flavor Combined with Lovely Cherries
Having the chocolate in the cake in this consistency gives you a subtle chocolate flavor in every bite without any big chocolate chunks overpowering the delicate almond cake and cherry flavor. It kind of reminds me of Stracciatella ice cream. Please tell me you've had the pleasure of trying it?
This Cherry Chocolate Cake is so wonderfully moist, it doesn't really need any icing. Just a generous dusting of icing sugar and a dollop of vanilla whipped cream will do it (I add vanilla bean powder or paste to heavy cream before whipping).
Recipe
Cherry Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1-⅓ cup almond meal/flour
- 2.5 ounces dark chocolate finely chopped or grated (see instructions)
- 1 glass sour cherries drained (about 350 g / 12 ounces)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Grease, flour and line a 10-inch/26cm round cake pan.
- Beat together softened butter and sugar until light. Add eggs one at a time and beat after each addition. In a separate bowl whisk together all dry ingredients. Combine dry with wet ingredients.
- Lastly stir in drained cherries and chocolate. Fill batter into prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool cake in pan for half an hour, then invert on a large plate etc. and then right side up onto a wire rack.
- Cool fully then dust with powdered sugar. Serve each slice with a dollop of vanilla whipped cream if desired. Store covered for up to 1 week.
Note:
- You can either finely chop or grate the chocolate. Or use chocolate chips and pulse a few times in a food processor, careful not to melt the chocolate.
Pin this Cherry Chocolate Cake recipe for later?
Update June 2014
This recipe can also be baked in 2 loaf pans (8x4 or 9x5) for Cherry Chocolate Cake Bars. The loaf slices are perfect to take along for outdoor summer picnics when convenience is key!
Other Recipes You Might Enjoy
Check out these similar recipes!
- Cherry Blossom Cupcakes
- Coffee Almond Cake
- Mocha Almond Cake with Espresso Buttercream
- Ube Cake
- Paleo Banana Bread
Random Questions
The origins of cherry cake can be traced back to various European countries, where it has been a traditional dessert for generations. Cherries have long been celebrated in European baking, and their incorporation into cakes has been a popular practice for creating delightful and flavorful desserts.
Coating a cake with chocolate can be done by first preparing a smooth and glossy ganache or melted chocolate. The cake is typically chilled to make it easier to handle, and then the ganache or melted chocolate is poured or spread over the cake, allowing it to cover the entire surface. The excess can be smoothed out with a spatula to create an even coating.
Cherry chip cake is typically made with a combination of basic cake ingredients such as flour, sugar, baking powder, and eggs, along with the addition of maraschino cherries and sometimes cherry flavoring. The cherries provide a delightful burst of flavor and a vibrant appearance to the cake, making it a popular choice for various occasions.
Jacquee @ I Sugar Coat It!
First off - beautiful photos! This flavour combo has me intrigued. I want to give this a try, but the stuff in jars freak me out. Have you ever had it with fresh cherries?
Regina
Thank you so very much Jacquee. For some reason we have never made it this cake with fresh cherries but I can't see why it wouldn't also taste fantastic. Although In that case I would probably opt for sweet instead of sour cherries.
Tina @ Tina's Chic Corner
I've never seen cherry cake before but I'm loving this one! I simply must try it. 🙂 It looks so delicious.
Regina
I hope you do Tina. It's so worth a try 😀