Cherry Chocolate Cake
This Cherry Chocolate Cake is loaded with cherries in every bite. It’s a fluffy chocolate sponge cake with a layer of caramel cream and shaved chocolate on top.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Who doesn’t love a good, rich chocolate cake? Well, I’ve taken it to the next level with this decadently moist Cherry Chocolate Cake. Here’s why you’ll love this recipe:
- Fresh Cherry Flavor: This recipe uses fresh cherries to make a chunky cherry syrup that infuses the cake with a burst of fresh cherry flavor. It’s just as delicious as my Cherry Cupcakes.
- Chocolate Sponge: The cake layers are made with a super moist and fluffy chocolate sponge cake that’s just the right balance of rich chocolate and sweetness.
- Decadently Creamy: The layers of this cake are filled with a light and creamy cherry filling that’s also incredibly easy to make.
- Easy to Assemble: Despite how impressive this cake looks, it’s actually really easy to assemble.
- Perfect for Special Occasions: With its stunning appearance and amazing flavor, this cake is perfect for special occasions, birthdays, and holidays.
Key Ingredients
- Fresh Cherries – Fresh cherries are the star of this recipe. They add a burst of fruity sweetness that complements the rich chocolate flavors. They’re also used to top the cake, adding a beautiful, natural decoration and a burst of fresh cherry flavor.
- Sugar – We use organic sugar to sweeten the cherry syrup and the chocolate sponge. It’s a natural sweetener that adds a lovely, subtle sweetness.
- Eggs – Eggs are essential in the chocolate sponge. They provide structure and help the cake rise, resulting in a light and fluffy texture.
- Heavy Cream – Heavy cream is used to make the cream for this cake. It’s rich and luxurious, and when whipped, it holds its shape beautifully.
Substitutions and Variations
This cherry chocolate cake is a showstopper, and here are some of my favorite ways to make it your own:
- Make it a Black Forest Cake: This recipe is already a play on the classic Black Forest Cake. The chunky cherry syrup adds a rustic touch and extra freshness. But if you want to take it a step further, try adding a splash of kirsch (cherry brandy) to the chunky cherry syrup. It’s the traditional way to make the German dessert.
- Use Dark Chocolate: If you prefer your desserts on the less sweet side, you can definitely use dark chocolate in this recipe. It will pair wonderfully with the sweet chunky cherry syrup and the lightly sweetened whipped cream.
- Try Different Flavors: The great thing about this recipe is that it’s so versatile. You can try using different fruits and flavorings. Raspberry syrup with a handful of fresh raspberries would be a delicious twist.
How to Make Cherry Chocolate Cake
Step 1
Cut each cherry in half, remove pits, and place them in a pot with sugar. Bring to a boil, then let it simmer for 30 minutes.
Step 2
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat eggs and sugar for 5 minutes. Carefully fold dry ingredients into the egg mixture.
Step 3
Pour the batter into a greased pan and bake for 25 minutes. Once cooled, slice the sponge in half. Remove the soft part in chunks, leaving the outer shell intact.
Step 4
For the cream, beat the heavy cream until it thickens. Add half a can of Dulce de leche and beat. In a separate bowl, reserve a third of the cream for the outer coating.
Step 5
Add the sponge chunks to the cream and mix until combined. Then add the strained cherries and mix gently.
Step 6
Soak the top and bottom cake crusts with the reserved strained cherry syrup. Place the bottom of the sponge cake on a platter. Cover with the cream filling and top crust.
Step 7
Ice the top and sides of the cake with the reserved cream. Garnish with a pound of fresh cherries and chocolate shavings. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours before slicing and serving.
For full list of ingredients and instructions, see recipe card below.
Serving Suggestions
- This cake is delicious on its own, but you can take it to the next level by serving it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.
- For a special occasion, dust the cake with powdered sugar or cocoa powder before serving.
- If you’re serving this cake for a party or special event, consider adding some fresh cherries or a drizzle of chocolate sauce on the side of each slice for a beautiful presentation.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use any type of fresh cherries for the chunky cherry syrup. If you have canned cherries in juice, those will work best. Otherwise, you can use any fresh cherry variety of your choice.
To prevent the sponge pieces from becoming too soggy, mix them into the cream until just combined. Be gentle and try to keep the sponge pieces from getting mashed. You want to maintain their texture and size in the cake.
How to Store Leftovers
- Storing: If you have any leftover cherry chocolate cake, you can store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: This cake also freezes well. Once it has cooled completely, you can wrap it in plastic wrap and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Thaw: When you’re ready to enjoy your frozen cake, simply let it thaw at room temperature. This will take about 2-3 hours.
- Reheating: If you prefer your cake warm, you can reheat individual slices in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds.
Recipe
Cherry Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
For the Chunky Cherry Syrup:
- 2 lbs. fresh cherries
- ½ cup sugar
For the Chocolate Sponge:
- 5 eggs large, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- 3 tbsp. cocoa powder
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
For the Cream:
- 5 cups heavy cream
- ½ can Dulce de Leche
- 1 lb. fresh cherries for garnishing
- 1/2 chocolate bar
Instructions
How to Chunky Cherry Syrup
- Cut each cherry in half, remove cherry pits, and place them into a small pot. Add sugar and bring to a boil on high, stirring constantly.
- Reduce heat to low and let it simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the stove top and cool completely.
How to Make the Chocolate Sponge
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Sift dry ingredients: flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda into a small bowl. Combine and set aside.
- Beat eggs and sugar on high-speed for 5 minutes.
- Add dry ingredients into egg mixture in two separate additions, stirring very carefully not to deflate too many air bubbles.
- Bake the sponge for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, then spring pan and cool completely.
- Slice cooled sponge in half.
- Remove the softness of the sponge in chunks, leaving the crisp outer shell intact.
- Set the sponge pieces aside until ready for use.
How to Make the Cream
- Beat heavy cream just until it thickens. Add ½ can Dulce de Leche and beat just until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again for about 15-20 seconds (do not over mix).
- Reserve 1/3 of the cream and place it in a separate bowl for the outer coating.
- Strain the chunky cherry syrup. Set aside until ready for use.
- Add sponge pieces into the cream and mix them in until just combined (try to keep the sponge pieces not mashed).
- Then add strained cherries and mix just until combined. Do not over mix to keep sponge pieces and cherries large and visible in the end-result.
How to Assemble the Cake
- Soak the top and bottom cake crusts with the reserved strained cherry syrup.
- Place the bottom of the sponge cake onto a cake platter. Pack all of the cream/sponge/cherry fillings and cover with the top crust of the cake sponge. Ice the top and sides of the cake with the reserved cream.
- Grace the cake a with the one-pound pile of fresh cherries. Sprinkle the top and sides of the cake with chocolate shavings. (I use a potato peeler to shave the chocolate bar.) Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight for best results.
Notes
- Always use fresh cherries if you can. They provide the best flavor and texture for your chunky cherry syrup, which is a key component of this cake.
- Room temperature eggs are a must for the chocolate sponge. They incorporate more easily and help the cake rise properly.
- When adding the dry ingredients to the egg mixture for the chocolate sponge, do so in two separate additions. This helps to keep the batter smooth and prevents overmix, which can lead to a dense cake.
- When making the cream, don’t overbeat it. Once it’s thickened, gently fold in the dulce leche for a smooth, creamy texture.
- Don’t rush the cake assembly. Let the sponge soak up the cherry syrup, and allow the assembled cake to chill for at least 6 hours. This allows the flavors to meld and the sponge to soften, giving you a perfectly moist cake.
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Made this cake for a friend’s birthday. It was so delicious and fairly easy to make. Everyone loved how light and fluffy the cream was. I couldn’t find the Dulce de Leche so I used snickers caramel and it was so good.
Thank you for the recipe.
Hi Alina! I an so happy to hear that you loved this cake. I love this non-alchoholic version of this cake very much too. Thank you for an amazing five star review!
This cake looks amazing & i would love to make it. Unfortunately we can’t readily get Dulce De Leche here in Australia. There are a few specialty stores carry it, but it’s extremely expensive. Our govt banned the importation of Argentinian Dulce De Leche a few years ago & though we have caramel substitutes i don’t think it would be the same. What would you suggest?
With kindest regards
Reet
You can make your own Dulce De Leche by cooking condensed milk for 15 minutes in the Instant Pot or on the stove for an hour and half. I hope this helps.
Hi Valya!
This looks delish!
How many cans of store bought cherries do I use? 1 or 2 can?
It depends on how big the jars/cans are. Since cherries are not in season right now I would use frozen cherries to make the syrup (Costco sells frozen cherries). I hope this helps.
Hi Valya, the ingredients part of the recipe is coming up in code language. I am trying to get a list of ingredients to buy and I’m having hard time reading it. Thank you for taking a look. I’m excited to try this cake.
Hi Marina! Thank you for bringing that to my attention. I’m not sure what caused some of the recipe cards do that, but I’ve got it fixed now. If you notice any other recipes that have that issues I would love to know so I can get that fixed as well. I hope you love this recipe as much as I do! Happy baking! 🙂
Thank you:)
You are very certainly welcome!
Hi Valya 🙂 I have a question ,you baked two round cake but you said cut in half and look like you used only one sponge ???im confused 🙁
Hi, Alla! I just checked the recipe and I did not find where it says I baked 2 round cake. There is a collage showing one cake sponge unbaked and one baked. Is it what you’re refering too? You only need one chocolate cake sponge for this recipe. I hope that clarifies 🙂 Happy baking!
Thank you Valya for reply:) yes that pictures confused me ,thank you again,will make it tonight:)
Happy we got it clarified. Let me know how it goes.
One more question 🙂 how do you make chocolate sprinkle so perfect,what do you use to make that pretty ?or you buy in store ?I tried many different think but still can’t find anything to make it nice 🙁
It’s super easy to make them. Using a potato peeler shave chocolate going from top to bottom (like you would peel a potato) on a chocolate bar. While sliding the potato peeler down the chocolate bar, shaved chocolate should fold into a cylinder swirls. The chocolate bar cannot be super soft or refrigerated to get the best results. I hope that helps! 🙂
What size of baking pan did you use? 9”?
Both 9” or 10” will work well. Thanks for asking.
Hi Valya! Thank you for your yummy recipes! I have a question, when baking my cake the cake caved in the middle. 🙁 What could be the cause of that? Also, is it ok to still use it even though it caved in? Thank you!
Hi Vicki. One of the problems is over mixing the batter and deflating the air bubbles. Another problem could be shacking right after baking (I usually let the cake sponge cool to warm temperature before removing from a pan; especially chocolate cake sponges, they tend to be a little more delicate). Yes, it is still ok to use it. Just be careful when cutting off the top part of the cake sponge.
Thank you for the prompt reply!
You are more than welcome! I hope these tips help you in the future baking having better results. 🙂
This is just too cute to cut!
Thank you :D, it’s one tasty cake!
I made this cake and I really enjoy the taste of it, love chocolate cakes overall?
I was wondering what is better taste with canned cherries or to make the syrup with fresh? I’m just wondering if it’s worth trying with canned cherries cuz I made it this time with fresh cherries…
Looking forward to making this cake again for family gatherings?
If the cherries canned the Slavic way in a jar then its better with canned cherries, but if you are using American canned cherries, then you better off with fresh or frozen cherry syrup.
Wow Valya! You’ve done it again, another fantastic recipe! Photo looks amazing, and such a great cake! 🙂
Thank you for kind words Peter! This is one of those old recipes that never gets old. 😀
Absolutely love the quality of this picture. its a must try kind of look.
Thank you Nataliya! 🙂
One of favorite cakes! So beautiful and delicious. Thanks for another great cake. Keep ’em coming!
You are very welcome! I’m glad you liked it. Thank you for amazing review 🙂
This is such an unusual and gorgeous cake! The stack of cherries on top are a showstopper!
Thank you! Yes, it’s unusual and very special to me. Reminds me of my childhood. Thank you very much for stopping by and commenting 🙂
I made this today and it is uhh-may-zing! Came back to say huge appreciation for the great recipes and all your hard work. You’re awesome cook and baker!
I’m glad to hear that you like the recipe. Thank you kindly for coming back an sharing your experience with me I really appreciate it.
Wow, this cake is heaven on a pedestal!
It definitely has its place in my top 10 cakes. It’s very special to me and I’m tickled that you loved it too. Thank you! ?
I made this cake today and it’s sooo good. I recommend this recipe to anyone. Struggling with self control right now, it’s that good! Thanks for such a great recipe, it’s one of our fav now 😀
That’s awesome!!! I’m glad to hear that! I agree, this cake is one delicious dessert. Thank you kindly for an amazing review! 🙂
Hello, when to add baking soda? Also, there is salt in the instructions but not in the ingredients. Thank you
I meant to say baking soda not salt. I corrected it. Thanks for catching it, really appreciated it. 😉
I made it! It turned out perfect, very light and tasty! Thank you for the recipe.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your experience with me 😀
oh my this looks mouthwatering! I’m drooling just by looking at this!! Definitely makes it for my week menu!!
Thank you Tina! This one is one delicious cake loved by most people. Enjoy! 🙂