Chocolate Cherry Cake

If you followed me throughout my blogging journey, you might have picked up on our love of chocolate... I just love baking and posting chocolate goods. If you are a chocolate lover yourself you will fall in love with this cake. It's simple to put together and tastes fantastic!

Chocolate cake sponges soaked with black cherry syrup, spread with light cream and topped with cocoa powder; what a delicious combination it makes! If you're a seasonal black cherry picker or like to purchase that bucket-full to enjoy during its harvest, this is one good way to incorporate them in a dessert. While black cherries are still in season (you may also use frozen cherries), give this remarkable cake a try. It's totally worth it!

Ingredients:

I used the  Chocolate Sponge Recipe for this cake

Syrup Ingredients:

2 lbs. (1 kg) – fresh cherries (or frozen)
½ cup (112 g) – white granulated sugar

Cream Ingredients:

4 cups (1 L) – heavy cream
1 cup (110 g) – powdered sugar
1 cup (226 g) – sour cream

Syrup Instructions:

1. Remove the stems, rinse cherries thoroughly and remove the pits. Transfer cherries into small sauce pan. Add sugar. Mash cherries with a potato masher.

2. On a stove burner bring the mashed cherries to a boil on high. Reduce heat to low and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Remove cherries from the burner and let it cool completely before use. (I like to make the syrup the night before I plan to bake, so the syrup has had plenty of time to cool.) After the cherry syrup cools, pour it through a strainer to separate the cherry chunks from the syrup. Set aside until ready for use.

Batter Instructions:

Make the batter using How to Make Chocolate Sponge instructions. While cake sponges are cooling, make the cream.

Cream Instructions:

Pour heavy cream into mixer bowl. Beat it on high for 1 minute or until it becomes thick. Add powdered sugar, beat for another minute. Then add sour cream and beat for one minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix in left out cream for one more minute. Refrigerate the cream until ready for use.

Assembly Instructions:

1. Cut off about ¼ “ from the top of each sponge.

2. Soak both bottom sponges with cherry syrup. Place a sponge on a cake platter. Cover the soaked sponge with a generous amount of cream (about 2 cups).

3. Tear the trimmed tops into several large pieces and place them on top of the cream. Then cover it with a thick layer of cooked black cherry chunks. Press the top sponge down a bit, if necessary, to level the cherries.

4. Place another 2 cups of cream over cherries and even out the cream. Place a second cake sponge on top of the cream. Soak the top of the sponge with the remaining cherry syrup, and then crumb coat the cake with some cream. Place the cake and the remaining cream into the fridge (you should have about 3 cups left) for an hour.

5. Remove the cake and reserved cream from the fridge. Beat the cream for 30 seconds to fluff. Cover the cake with cream. Sprinkle the top with cocoa powder and decorate however you like. Place fresh cherries on top of the cake for a touch of freshness and decor. Refrigerate the cake for 4 hours or overnight. (Cakes turn out soft and moist when stored in a covered container overnight, and my preferred method.)

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Chocolate Cherry Cake

Prep Time

1 hr 25 mins

Cook Time

35 mins

Total Time

2 hrs

 

Course: Cake, Dessert

Servings: 14

Author: Valya at Valya's Taste of Home

Ingredients

• Ingredients:
• I used these Chocolate Sponges recipe for this cake.
• Syrup Ingredients:
• 2 lbs. 1 kg – fresh cherries (or frozen cherries)
• ½ cup 112 g – white granulated sugar
• Cream Ingredients:
• 4 cups 1 L – heavy cream
• 1 cup 110 g – powdered sugar
• 1 cup 226 g – sour cream

Instructions

1. Syrup Instructions:
2. Remove the stems, rinse cherries thoroughly and remove the pits. Transfer cherries into small sauce pan. Add sugar. Mash cherries with a potato masher.
3. On a stove burner bring the mashed cherries to a boil on high. Reduce heat to low and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Remove cherries from the burner and let it cool completely before use. (I like to make the syrup the night before I plan to bake, so the syrup has had plenty of time to cool.) After the cherry syrup cools, pour it through a strainer to separate the cherry chunks from the syrup. Set aside until ready for use.
4. Batter Instructions:
5. Make the batter using How to Make Chocolate Sponge instructions. While cake sponges are cooling, make the cream.
6. Cream Instructions:
7. Pour heavy cream into mixer bowl. Beat it on high for 1 minute or until it becomes thick. Add powdered sugar, beat for another minute. Then add sour cream and beat for one minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix in left out cream for one more minute. Refrigerate the cream until ready for use.
8. Assembly Instructions:
9. Cut off about ¼ “ from the top of each sponge.
10. Soak both bottom sponges with cherry syrup. Place a sponge on a cake platter. Cover the soaked sponge with a generous amount of cream (about 2 cups).
11. Tear the trimmed tops into several large pieces and place them on top of the cream. Then cover it with a thick layer of cooked black cherry chunks. Press the top sponge down a bit, if necessary, to level the cherries.
12. Place another 2 cups of cream over cherries and even out the cream. Place a second cake sponge on top of the cream. Soak the top of the sponge with the remaining cherry syrup, and then crumb coat the cake with some cream. Place the cake and the remaining cream into the fridge (you should have about 3 cups left) for an hour.
13. Remove the cake and reserved cream from the fridge. Beat the cream for 30 seconds to fluff. Cover the cake with cream. Sprinkle the top with cocoa powder and decorate however you like. Place fresh cherries on top of the cake for a touch of freshness and decor. Refrigerate the cake for 4 hours or overnight. (Cakes turn out soft and moist when stored in a covered container overnight, and my preferred method.)'
14. Slice it up and enjoy with tea or coffee!

Slice it up and enjoy with tea or coffee! 🙂

If you make this Chocolate Cherry Cake recipe please share a picture with me on Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest. Tag with #valyastasteofhome. I'd love to see your creations! 🙂

My mouth waters just by looking at it! Lol. Yum! 😉

TIP: The middle cake layer should be thin on purpose, to cushion and absorb the chunks of juicy cherries. I used 9" pans for this particular cake post and so the middle layer turned out a bit thicker compared to the ones baked in 10" pans previously. I recommend using 10" pans when baking chocolate sponges for this cake. The middle layer should be mostly creamy with a thin moist bed of sponge to hold the chunky and juicy cherries. See in the picture below how it should look like when using 10" pans.

Kitchen items I used in making this recipe:
(If you need any of these items, simply click on the picture to order. Thank you for your support!)

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