Sour Cherry Chocolate Cake Recipes

CHOCOLATE CHERRY CAKE (DAIRY-FREE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350F/180C and grease an 8x8-inch pan.
• In a small bowl, whisk together hot water and cocoa powder until smooth. Set aside to let cool slightly until warm.
• In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
• In another medium bowl, mix together eggs, oil, vanilla extract, and water-cocoa mixture. Add egg mixture into flour mixture and mix with a rubber spatula just until combined. Do not overmix-the less you mix, the lighter the cake will be.
• In a small bowl toss cherries with 2 teaspoons flour in order to prevent cherries from sinking during baking. Add cherries and chocolate chips to cake batter and fold just until combined.
• Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean (repeat testing if your toothpick runs into a cherry). Allow cake to cool completely on a wire rack.
• Dust the top with powdered sugar or top with chocolate ganache. Serve at room temperature.
• Cake can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

SOUR CHERRY GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Spray and flour three 8-inch cakes pans and line the bottoms with parchment circles.
• Combine the chocolate and 4 tablespoons of the butter in the top of a double boiler and heat until melted. Stir until smooth, then stir in the milk. Set aside to cool slightly.
• Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
• Whisk the egg whites in a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment to firm peaks. In a new mixer bowl, combine the sugar and remaining 1 1/2 sticks butter. Beat with the paddle attachment on high speed until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. On medium speed, add the egg yolks one at time and beat until smooth. Beat in the vanilla. Add the chocolate mixture and beat just to combine. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat just until the batter is smooth.
• Remove the bowl from the mixer. Add the egg whites and fold with a spatula just to incorporate (there should be no streaks of egg whites, but fold gently so as not to deflate too much). Divide the batter among the prepared pans.
• Bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool on a rack in the pans for about 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely. Remove the parchment.
• For the topping: To assemble, set a cake layer on a cake stand flat-side up. Spread 1/2 cup of the jam almost to the edges of the layer. Top with a second cake layer. Spread with the remaining jam and top with the third cake layer, flat-side up. Pour the fudge sauce over the cake and use an offset spatula to cover the top and let it drip down the sides of the cake. Sprinkle toasted coconut on top to garnish right before serving.

CHERRY CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs and extract until well blended. Stir in one can of pie filling until blended. Transfer to a 13x9-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray. , Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Top individual servings with remaining pie filling.

CHERRY CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and butter.
• Combine the sugar, flour, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl and whisk until combined, set aside. Whisk together, eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla until well combined. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Slowly add the hot coffee and rum to the batter and whisk until totally blended and smooth, about 2 minutes. The batter will be quite runny.
• Divide the batter into the prepared pans and bake for about 25 minutes or until set when tested with a toothpick. Cool completely.
• For the cherry filling and topping: Place the cherries and kirsch in a saucepot. Whisk together the sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl and then add to the cherries.
• Add the sugar mixture to the cherries and cook over low heat until the cherries come to a boil and the liquid thickens and is transparent, about 10 minutes. If you are using fresh cherries, you will want to cook them until the fruit is slightly tender.
• Transfer to a bowl and cool to room temperature.
• To assemble the cake: Whip the cream, powdered sugar and vanilla to stiff peaks. Place one layer of the cake on a serving platter. Spread half of the whipped cream over the top. Distribute half the cherries over the cream. Repeat with the next layers of cake, cream and cherries. Serve immediately or place it in the refrigerator.

SOUR CHERRY CHOCOLATE TORTE

Steps:

• Pre heat oven to 350 degrees, butter a 9" spring-form pan dust with ground almonds (or fine, dry unseasoned bread crumbs), shake out extra, set aside.
• Drain cherries, then spread in a single layer on several thicknesses of paper towel, while you continue to prepare the torte.
• Melt chocolate in double boiler or microwave, watch carefully, don't allow any water to get in the chocolate or it will seize.
• Cream the butter, add extracts and sugar, beat well; add eggs one at a time beating after each until mixed.
• On low add chocolate, beat until mixed, add almonds, then flour mixing just until incorporated.
• Spread about half or a little more of the batter into the pan (it is thick, using an offset spatula helps) place cherries one at a time over batter in a single layer, they can touch the sides, spoon and spread the remaining batter over the cherries, going slow helps prevent pull up.
• Bake 45 -50 minutes, the cake will be dry and crusty on top and a toothpick will come out clean. Cool for 15 minutes on a rack, then remove sides of the pan, let stand until almost cool ( to serve warm this is about 30 minutes).
• To remove bottom of the pan - cover cake with a rack and flip over, remove pan bottom - you may need to slip a thin spatula between the torte and pan bottom to loosen, cover cake with serving plate and flip back over ( I've been know to serve from the pan bottom, just keep your thin spatula handy).
• Note: Almonds should be finely ground in a blender or food processor, they should be almost powdery). Almond meal or almond flour (fancy names for ground almonds) can be found in some health food stores or at Trader Joes, though it can be very pricey under some labels. I prefer the freshness of grinding the almonds myself.
• Use real whipping cream unless you have dairy issues; a little kirsch added as you whip it is a nice touch.

CHOCOLATE-CHERRY CAKE

Steps:

• Prepare the cake: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan with olive oil.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder and baking powder until evenly distributed and no lumps remain. To a separate large bowl, add the 1/2 cup oil, eggs, milk, almond extract and salt and whisk until smooth, at least 30 seconds. Gently whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until the last streak of flour disappears.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and tap gently against the counter to pop excess air bubbles. Bake until a skewer or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan.
• Microwave the cherry preserves in a small bowl in 30-second intervals or in a small saucepan over medium heat until looser and slightly liquidy. Spread the preserves evenly over the cooled cake.
• Make the frosting: In a large bowl, combine the sugar, cocoa powder and salt and pour over the hot water. Either by hand or with an electric mixer, whisk until smooth. Add the heavy cream and continue whisking until billowy soft peaks form. When you turn the whisk upside-down, a peak of cream should flop over slightly like a Santa hat. Spread the frosting over the cake and, if using, garnish with the cherries. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

SOUR CHERRY CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE

Steps:

• Make sour cherry jam:
• In a small saucepan stir together the cherry jam, balsamic vinegar, and calvados. Simmer over low heat until the liquid reduces and thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand until cooled completely.
• Make shortbread base:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Invert bottom of springform pan (to make it easier to slide shortbread base off bottom), then lock on side of pan and line bottom with a round of parchment paper.
• Pulse hazelnuts with sugar in a food processor until nuts are finely chopped. Add flour, butter, cocoa, and salt and pulse just until a dough forms.
• Press dough evenly onto bottom of springform pan with your fingers. Prick all over with a fork, then bake until just dry to the touch, about 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer base in pan to a rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes. Remove side of pan and carefully slide out parchment from under shortbread, then reattach side of pan around shortbread base.
• Make mousse while shortbread cools:
• Sprinkle gelatin over water in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan and let stand until softened, about 5 minutes. Heat gelatin mixture over low heat, stirring, just until gelatin is melted, about 2 minutes. Whisk in chocolate hazelnut spread until combined and remove from heat.
• Whisk together mascarpone and chocolate hazelnut mixture in a large bowl. Beat together cream, cocoa powder, and sugar in another large bowl with an electric mixer at low speed until just combined, then increase speed to high and beat until cream just holds soft peaks. Whisk one third of whipped cream into mascarpone mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whipped cream until well combined.
• Use a spoon or rubber spatula to spread the jam mixture evenly on top of shortbread, then spoon the mousse layer on top of the jam, gently smoothing top. Chill, covered, at least 3 hours.
• Make ganache and glaze cake:
• Bring cream to a simmer in a small heavy saucepan and remove from heat. Add chocolate and let stand 1 minute, then gently whisk until completely melted and smooth. Transfer ganache to a small bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened but still pourable, about 20 minutes.
• Run a warm thin knife around inside of springform pan, then remove side. Slide cake off bottom of pan and transfer to a serving plate. Pour ganache onto top of cake and spread, allowing excess ganache to drip down sides.