This marvelous Drunken Cherry Cake Recipe I'm sharing today is from my childhoods. The cake is loaded with two pounds of lightly cooked cherries, topped with a pound of fresh cherries, caramel cream, and fluffy chocolate cake sponge, and finally sprinkled with shaved best-tasting organic chocolate, it’s fair to say that self-control takes a little more effort around this exquisite goodness.
Ah, my mouth waters just by glancing at the pictures, and the cake is long gone! This rich and delicious stunner will definitely not disappoint.
This cake is completely untainted and innocent, I assure you. Traditionally, people have soaked cherries in liquor, but the name also comes from the style of the cake: the muddled-up sponge design.
My mom
... used to make this cake sporadically because we had limited access to a large variety of ingredients in those days. Fancier and more complex recipes such as this one were usually reserved for the holidays.
Since cherries are one of my favorite fruit to bake with, I’ve loved this cake steadily up to this day. Plus – it's chocolate! Need I say more? Give it one try and you’ll love it as well!
Chunky Cherry Syrup:
2 lbs. (1 kg.) – fresh cherries
½ cup (100 g) – organic sugar (not pictured)
PS. If you have canned cherries in the juice, that works best; o
Chocolate Sponge Ingredients:
5 large – eggs (room temperature)
1 cup (200 g) – organic sugar
1 tsp. (5 ml) – baking powder
½ tsp. (2.5 ml) – baking soda
3 tbsp. (45 ml) – cocoa powder
1 cup (125 g) – organic all-purpose flour
Cream Ingredients:
5 cups (1200 ml) – heavy cream
½ can (165 g) – Dulce de Leche
1 lb. (454 g) - fresh cherries to top the cake
½ Chocolate bar
Chunky Cherry Syrup Instructions:
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.
Chocolate Sponge Instructions:
1. 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.
2. Beat eggs and sugar on high speed for 5 minutes.
3. Add dry ingredients into egg mixture in two separate additions, stirring very carefully not to deflate too many air bubbles.
4. Bake the sponge for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, then spring pan and cool completely.
5. Slice cooled sponge in half. (See HERE how I precut the sponge with a knife and finish with thread.)
6. Remove the softness of the sponge in chunks, leaving the crisp outer shell intact.
7. Set the sponge pieces aside until ready for use.
Cream Instructions:
1. 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 ⅓ of the cream and place it in a separate bowl for the outer coating.
2. Strain the chunky cherry syrup. Set aside until ready for use.
3. 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.
Cake Assembling Instructions:
1. Soak the top and bottom cake crusts with the reserved strained cherry syrup.
2. 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.
3. 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 6 hours or overnight for best results.
Drunken Cherry Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- Chunky Cherry Syrup:
- 2 lbs. (1 kg) – fresh cherries
- ½ cup (100 g) – organic sugar (not pictured)
- (PS. If you have canned cherries in the juice that works best; otherwise, make this chunky cherry syrup)
- Chocolate Sponge Ingredients:
- 5 large – eggs (room temperature)
- 1 cup (200 g) – organic sugar
- 1 tsp. (5 ml) – baking powder
- ½ tsp. (2.5 ml) – baking soda
- 3 tbsp. (45 ml) – cocoa powder
- 1 cup (125g) – organic all-purpose flour
- Cream Ingredients:
- 5 cups (1200 ml) – heavy cream
- ½ can (165 g) – Dulce de Leche
- 1 lb. (454 g) - fresh cherries to top the cake
- ½ - Chocolate bar
Instructions
- Chunky Cherry Syrup Instructions:
- 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.
- Chocolate Sponge Instructions:
- 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.
- Cream Instructions:
- 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 ⅓ 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.
- Cake Assembling Instructions:
- 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 6 hours or overnight for best results.
- Enjoy!
If you make this Drunken 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! ?
Enjoy with a cup of hot tea or coffee!
If you liked this recipe, please share it with your family and loved ones. Thank you for your support! 😀
Check out these delicious cake recipes as well:
CHERRY LAKE CAKE
CURLY BOY
CAKE “BROKEN GLASS”
"STRAWBERRY" CAKE
“APPLE” CAKE
CAKE “DAY AND NIGHT”
KOROLEVSKY CAKE (KINGS CAKE)
HONEY CHOCOLATE AND STRAWBERRY CAKE
CHOCOLATE CHERRY CAKE
MINT CHOCOLATE CAKE
STRAWBERRY BISKVIT CAKE WITH GREEK YOGURT CREAM (And many more under the DESSERT category.)
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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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! 🙂
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 😀
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! 🙂
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 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.
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 🙂
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 🙂
Absolutely love the quality of this picture. its a must try kind of look.
Thank you Nataliya! 🙂
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. 😀
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.
This is just too cute to cut!
Thank you :D, it's one tasty cake!
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. 🙂
What size of baking pan did you use? 9”?
Both 9” or 10” will work well. Thanks for asking.
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! 🙂
Thank you:)
You are very certainly welcome!
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! 🙂
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.