• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About Me
    • Contact
  • Recipes
    • Recipes Visual Index
    • How to Make Ice Cream without an Ice Cream Maker
    • Kitchen Cheat Sheet
    • Kitchen & Pantry Essentials
  • Services
    • Contact
  • eBook Store

A Cookie Named Desire

menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Services
  • eBook Store
  • Store
    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home - Cake

    Published: Feb 3, 2016 · Modified: Oct 5, 2021 by Amanda Powell · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Chocolate Cherry Cake

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    A moist and irresistible chocolate cherry cake that will have you coming back for more. This cake is simple to put together and is full of great flavor.   

    A moist chocolate cherry cake with a rich chocolate cake and a smooth cherry swiss meringue buttercream

     

    My two-year blogiversary happened a couple of weeks ago! I wanted to celebrate on the day, but I had so much trouble deciding on a cake. When I came up with one (A chocolate bourbon cake with chocolate frosting and a mini crombouche on top), I couldn't help but feel too intimidated to actually take it on. I wanted something a little more simple.
    I was talking to one of my friends (my long time bestie from high school) about her birthday cake that I was going to make for her and that was what inspired this chocolate cherry cake. Something a little more like me. Simple. So that we can focus on the heart of the matter which is flavor. I used the same chocolate cake base that I've used in my Christmas cake and added a bit more chocolate. I then brushed it with a cherry liquer and covered it in cherry Swiss meringue buttercream. And since I hate frosting cakes and this is a cake for me, I left it naked. In my opinion, chocolate and cherry is the best combination. I might even love it even more than I love chocolate and orange.

    A moist chocolate cherry cake with a rich chocolate cake and a smooth cherry swiss meringue buttercream

    I suppose now is the time I should reflect on the past year of blogging. I enjoyed it so much more than my first year and in many ways think of this as being my true first year of really blogging. Before I was simply throwing stuff out there and embarrassingly clueless as to what I was doing. I've been able to get to know some truly amazing and talented people and work with some of my absolute favorite brands that I am honored to have even had the chance to collaborate together. It was also my first full year of blogging full-time. I learned a lot about balancing being a single mom and working at home with a four-year old. It's been a challenge, but so worth it.

    What's kept me going are people like you. No, really. You coming to the blog and reading my rambling and sharing my recipes and subscribing to the newsletter and following me on social media. I wouldn't be able to do what I do if it weren't for you. You've given me the chance to follow a dream and turn it into something wonderful that makes me delieriously happy. You are awesome, and I love you.

    A moist chocolate cherry cake with a rich chocolate cake and a smooth cherry swiss meringue buttercream

    Okay, so mushy stuff aside, let's get on to the chocolate cherry cake...... annnnnnnd a little giveaway! I didn't really plan anything ahead of time, but my friends at Rodelle were kind enough to give away some of my favorite Rodelle products to one person! All you have to do to enter is to comment below and tell me your favorite food memory. It can be a particular moment in time like when your mom made you homemade chicken noodle soup when you were sick one day, or a dish that immediately takes you back to your childhood.

    Chocolate Cherry Cake Recipe Notes

    If you aren't great at handling cakes, I recommend using a cake leveler to split the cake in half. Taste the frosting as you add the cherries. You may end up needing less. Also be careful with the consistency, you don't want it too loose. So when I tell you to add the cherries ¼ cup at a time to this chocolate cherry cake, please listen! If you want to bump up that cherry flavor even more, add ½ teaspoon of almond extract.

    A moist chocolate cherry cake with a rich chocolate cake and a smooth cherry swiss meringue buttercream

    Chocolate Cherry Cake

    Amanda Powell
    Light and flavorful chocolate cherry layer cake
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 mins
    Cook Time 30 mins
    Total Time 1 hr
    Course Cake
    Cuisine American
    Servings 1 cake
    Calories 380 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    Chocolate Cake

    • 1½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
    • 1½ cups sugar
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1½ cups hot strong brewed coffee
    • 9 ounces dark chocolate
    • ⅔ cups Dutch-processed cocoa powder
    • 1 cup vegetable oil
    • 4 eggs
    • ¼ cup cherry liqueur

    Cherry Reduction

    • ¾ lbs cherries pitted and quartered
    • ½ cup granulated sugar
    • ¼ cup water

    Swiss Meringue Buttercream

    • 4 large egg whites
    • 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
    • 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
    • cherry reduction
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ¼ teaspoon salt

    Instructions
     

    • Grease and four two 9-inch baking pans. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
    • Mix together the all-purpose flour, sugar, baking soda baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
    • Mix the coffee, chocolate, and cocoa powder, it will be almost like a thin paste. Place in the refrigerator to cool. Once cooled. beat in the oil and eggs.
    • Fold the flour mixture into the chocolate, then mix until it is full combined. Evenly divide the batter between the two cake pans.
    • Bake for about 18 - 22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle. Cool for about 10 - 15 minutes. Remove from the cake pans and allow to finish cooling on a wire rack. (For the easiest time frosting, tightly cover the cakes and place in the freezer for a few hours, or overnight).
    • Start on the cherry reduction. Add the cherries, sugar, and water to a saucepan and cook on medium high until reduced to a thick syrup with small chunks of cherry. It should be roughly ⅔ cup. Lightly crush the cherries as you cook. Optionally place the reduction in the food processor to crush up the cherries a bit more. Allow to cool to room temperature. This can be made ahead of time and brough to room temperature when you use it. It is okay if it is still slightly cool.
    • Clean your bowl (it is best if you use the bowl of your stand mixer) and whisk for the swiss meringue buttercream and thoroughly dry. Place a small pot on the stove with about an inch of water. Heat the water until steaming, but not boiling. Place the bowl over the pot.
    • Add your egg whites and sugar. to the mixing bowl and whisk constantly until the sugar is dissolved.
    • Put the mixing bowl back into your stand mixer and whip until stiff peaks form. Add in the butter one tablespoon at a time and mix well between each addition. The mixture may separate and that is okay, it will usually come back together over time. If not, place it in the refrigerator for an hour and then start mixing again.
    • Fold in the cherry reduction ¼ cup at a time.
    • Cut the edges of the cakes and cut both cakes in half to create four cake layers. Brush the tops with the cherry liqueur.
    • Top each of the layers with the buttercream and layer the cakes on top of one another. Smooth out any frosting that sticks out from the cake with an offset spatula.
    • Top with fresh cherries for garnish.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1gCalories: 380kcalCarbohydrates: 53gProtein: 4gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 255mgFiber: 2gSugar: 42g
    Keyword cake, cherry, chocolate, dessert, frosting, swiss meringue
    Tried this recipe?Tag me on Instagram! @acookienameddesire #acookienameddesire

    A moist chocolate cherry cake with a rich chocolate cake and a smooth cherry swiss meringue buttercream

    More Cake Recipes

    • Gingerbread Loaf
    • Cookie Dough Cake
    • Raspberry Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
    • Strawberry Upside Down Cake

    About Amanda Powell

    Baker, photographer, and sometimes world traveler behind A Cookie Named Desire. Obsessed with helping people live life sweetly with delicious food to share with the special people in your life and creating lasting memories.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Amy says

      February 07, 2016 at 8:56 am

      This is cake is absolutely beautiful and I'm sure tastes just as good as it looks!

      Reply
      • Amanda says

        February 08, 2016 at 10:15 am

        Thank you so much, Amy!

        Reply
    2. Veronica E says

      February 06, 2016 at 5:35 pm

      I'd have to go with the cake i made for my last birthday. 3 chocolate layer turned into 6 sandwiched with oreo frosting, swiss buttercream on the outside and a chocolate drip! After eating I cut into 3 big pieces for family to take home and ended up dropping it on my foot while walking back to my apartment. I was pretty much heartbroken... but still glad I got that first piece!

      Reply
      • Amanda says

        February 06, 2016 at 9:06 pm

        That cake sounds AMAZING! I can't even imagine how it must have felt to drop it. Hopefully you can make it again for everyone to try!

        Reply
    3. Jeffrey says

      February 06, 2016 at 3:46 pm

      My favorite food memory is from my 12th Birthday, eons ago! My parents got me a doughnut cake in the shape of the number 12. I remember the cake being delicious, the best I had ever tasted up until that point in my life!

      Reply
    4. June @ How to Philosophize with Cake says

      February 05, 2016 at 11:32 am

      happy blogoversary!! I have very much enjoyed reading your blog over the past years--here's to another great two years 🙂 This cake looks perfect, you can't go wrong with chocolate + cherry 😀

      Reply
    5. Marsha | Marsha's Baking Addiction says

      February 05, 2016 at 10:32 am

      What a stunning, beautiful cake! Looks absolutely delicious!

      Reply
    6. Stephanie @ DailyAppetite says

      February 05, 2016 at 9:39 am

      So I was 20 and I was in my first apartment and my roommate had to coach me through cracking my first egg. I was so scared I was going to hit it so hard that it would explode. From that moment on cooking became my obsession.

      Reply
    7. Megan - The Emotional Baker says

      February 05, 2016 at 7:02 am

      Happy Blogiversary! This cake is truly jaw dropping! So jealous of your cake making skills!

      Reply
    8. Sarah E. says

      February 04, 2016 at 9:29 pm

      Happy blogiversary! One of my favorite food memories was always waking up to fresh baked biscuits, sizzling bacon and the best southern grits from scratch, at my granny's house. She loved to cook and passed on her recipes to my grandmother who has passed them on to me. This cake looks amazing!

      Reply
      • Amanda says

        February 05, 2016 at 10:03 pm

        That's such a great memory!

        Reply
    9. Caitlin says

      February 04, 2016 at 7:55 pm

      My favourite food memory is baking chocolate cake with my mom!

      Reply
    10. cindy says

      February 04, 2016 at 7:20 pm

      My favorite food memory is when my sister and I would constantly go eat linguine and clams and for years everyone would call us the linguine sisters. And I love your cake I'm not hip on frosting so this would be the perfect cake.

      Reply
      • Amanda says

        February 04, 2016 at 8:20 pm

        The linguine sisters! That's so cute! I'm terrible at frosting too which is why naked cakes are the best!

        Reply
    11. Carmella says

      February 04, 2016 at 2:05 pm

      This cake looks absolutely perfect!! Like...perfect! Now that I'm an adult I have an aversion to cherries, it makes me think about my medicine when I was a kid, but this looks so good. I've always heard that cherries and chocolate are amazing together.

      Reply
    12. Camille says

      February 04, 2016 at 10:40 am

      Hi, happy blog anniversary! My favorite food memory is the first time I had profiteroles. I was 3 and my father made them for a family celebration and I was allowed to try one. I ate it with my hands and just LOVED it. I have pictures of me covered with whipped cream and chocolate sauce and they are still my favorite dessert, although only my father's make me happy every time. It's just so hard to find a good one in a restaurant!

      Reply
      • Amanda says

        February 04, 2016 at 3:21 pm

        That's such a great memory! I can imagine how much three-year old you must have devoured that profiterole! So wonderful 🙂

        Reply
    13. Liz @ Floating Kitchen says

      February 04, 2016 at 9:00 am

      Girl, congrats on two years! You are seriously killing it! I'm always so impressed with your creations and photography. And this cake is no exception to that. I love naked cakes too - I think they are much prettier than frosted cakes! 🙂

      Reply
    14. Laura Dembowski says

      February 04, 2016 at 8:42 am

      Happy blogiversary! Blogging is definitely an interesting and sometimes difficult experience but it is also rewarding. This cake is gorgeous! I love cherry anything and can't think of a better way to celebrate

      Reply
    15. Joanna says

      February 04, 2016 at 1:11 am

      I just found your blog this past week and had to tell you I love the stories you write before the recipe. It feels so personal and gives the recipe a beautiful meaning. I used to be a food blogger but got too busy with college, so I love when I discover other people who love cooking, too.

      My favorite food memory was my last birthday. My amazing mother shipped lobsters from Maine and we had a lobster feast with bibs and tons of butter. It was perfectly messy and we all got majorly stuffed!

      Reply
      • Amanda says

        February 04, 2016 at 8:21 pm

        A lobster fest sounds amazing. I need to do that one day!

        Reply
    Newer Comments »

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Connect With Me!

    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    headshot of author with a cow

    Hi, I'm Amanda! I am the baker and photographer behind A Cookie Named Desire. I'm a world traveler (sometimes) with a major weakness for cookies and cheese. While I'm mostly self-taught, I recently received a degree in Food Science!

    More about me →

    Reader Favorites

    • S'mores Cookies Recipe
    • Milano Cookies Recipe
    • Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • Avocado Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie
    • How to Make Salt Water Taffy
    • Jelly Donut Shot

    Winter Favorites

    • Homemade Hot Chocolate
    • Gingerbread Cake
    • 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
    • Edible Brownie Batter

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Accessibility

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Services
    • About Me

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.