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Thanks to help from a boxed mix, this Chocolate Cherry Cake with fudge icing is an easy dessert recipe that’s perfect for any occasion! It’s decadent, it’s moist, and it’s a simple option for those of us who don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.
I know that y’all love shortcut, easy dessert recipes just as much as I do, and today’s cherry cake recipe using cake mix is a true winner! I can’t take credit for this genius idea, though — it came from my friend Liz, whose daughter is in Gibbs’s class at school. Liz is the librarian at the middle school and she shared this recipe in the high school’s cookbook fundraiser a few years ago.
Why you’ll love this cake:
A good chocolate cake is like the “little black dress” of recipes. It’s versatile, it’s appropriate for just about every occasion, and you can dress it up or down (add sprinkles, top it with a cherry, add a scoop of ice cream…you get the idea).
While this dessert is particularly appropriate for Valentine’s Day, it would also be a great birthday cake, potluck dessert, or Christmas treat (just add red-and-green sprinkles)! Heck, the cake is so easy that you can mix it together for your next Sunday supper. Your family will be thrilled, and you don’t have to tell anyone that you took a few shortcuts!
How to make Chocolate Cherry Cake:
You only need 4 ingredients for the cake and about 15 minutes of prep! Let’s get started…
Cake Ingredients:
- Box of Devil’s Food cake mix
- Can of cherry pie filling
- Almond extract
- Eggs
First, stir together the cake mix, cherry pie filling, almond extract and eggs until completely combined. You don’t even need any butter or oil here, because the pie filling keeps the cake super moist!
Bake the cake in a 350 degree F oven for 25-30 minutes, and then set it on a wire rack to cool while you prepare the icing.
Ingredients for Fudge Icing:
- Sugar
- Butter
- Milk
- Chocolate chips
In a small saucepan, combine sugar, butter and milk. Bring to a boil and continue boiling and stirring for 2 minutes.
Remove the milk mixture from the heat and stir in the chocolate chips until completely melted and smooth.
Immediately pour the icing over the warm cake. Then allow the cake to cool completely before slicing and serving. The chocolate fudge icing will set and firm up as it cools, giving it this great ganache-like texture.
What to serve with Chocolate Cherry Cake:
This cake really doesn’t need much with it! It’s perfect on its own served with a cup of tea or coffee. If you’d like to dress it up a bit, I recommend adding a dollop of whipped cream and a maraschino cherry on top. Sprinkles are always a fun touch, and you can never go wrong with a scoop of vanilla, cherry, or coffee ice cream!
Cook’s Tips and Recipe Variations:
- Devil’s Food Cake is richer, darker and fluffier than a regular chocolate cake. That said, you can certainly substitute a box of chocolate cake mix for the Devil’s Food cake mix called for in this recipe.
- Almond extract gives the cake a unique, homemade flavor — and it’s a great flavor combination with the cherries. That said, if you don’t care for almond flavor or if you don’t have any almond extract, you can substitute with an equal amount of vanilla extract.
- I’ve used semi-sweet chocolate chips here, which is a nice, rich, not-too-sweet contrast to the cake. You can substitute with milk chocolate chips or even white chocolate chips if you prefer!
- If you’d like to include sprinkles on the top of your cake, I recommend adding them while the icing is still warm and soft. You can certainly sprinkle them over top once the cake is cooled, but they won’t “stick” as easily in the frosting.
- Make sure that you allow plenty of time for the cake to cool completely before trying to slice it. The icing will harden and form a great ganache-like coating on the cake, which will also make it easier to serve. I recommend planning on at least 3 hours of cooling time (but your cake may require a bit more or less).
- How to store the cake: This cake will keep on the counter for 1-2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It just gets better as it sits!
- To extend the life of your cake, you can freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.
More easy cake recipes that you might enjoy:
- Honey Bun Cake
- 5-Ingredient Gooey Butter Cake
- Italian Love Cake
- Claudia’s Easy Triple Chocolate Cake
- Hummingbird Cake
- Coca Cola Cake
Chocolate Cherry Cake
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE:
- 1 (15.25 ounce) box Devil’s Food cake mix
- 1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling
- 1 teaspoon almond extract (or substitute with vanilla extract)
- 2 eggs
FOR THE ICING:
- 1 cup sugar
- 5 tablespoons salted butter
- 1/3 cup milk (I use 2%, but whole milk or cream will also work well)
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Optional, for serving: maraschino cherries; ice cream; whipped cream; colored sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together cake mix, cherry pie filling, almond extract and eggs until well blended.
- Transfer batter into prepared dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to start cooling.
- While the cake cools, prepare the icing.
- In a small saucepan, combine sugar, butter and milk. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips until smooth. Immediately pour the icing over the warm cake. Cool completely and then slice and serve.
Notes
- Devil’s Food Cake is richer, darker and fluffier than a regular chocolate cake. That said, you can certainly substitute a box of chocolate cake mix for the Devil’s Food cake mix called for in this recipe.
- Almond extract gives the cake a unique, homemade flavor — and it’s a great flavor combination with the cherries. That said, if you don’t care for almond flavor or if you don’t have any almond extract, you can substitute with an equal amount of vanilla extract.
- I’ve used semi-sweet chocolate chips here, which is a nice, rich, not-too-sweet contrast to the cake. You can substitute with milk chocolate chips or even white chocolate chips if you prefer!
- If you’d like to include sprinkles on the top of your cake, I recommend adding them while the icing is still warm and soft. You can certainly sprinkle them over top once the cake is cooled, but they won’t “stick” as easily in the frosting.
- Make sure that you allow plenty of time for the cake to cool completely before trying to slice it. The icing will harden and form a great ganache-like coating on the cake, which will also make it easier to serve. I recommend planning on at least 3 hours of cooling time (but your cake may require a bit more or less).
- How to store the cake: This cake will keep on the counter for 1-2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It just gets better as it sits!
- To extend the life of your cake, you can freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.
