This tender cherry chocolate cake is a simple yet elegant cake made with melted dark chocolate and plenty of cherries. You can make it with fresh cherries in summer or use frozen or canned cherries the rest of the year.
After baking Cherry Loaf Cake and Cherry Crumb Pie recently, I felt it was time for a chocolate version. I wanted something easy to make, without complicated layers or decorations, but still special enough for a weekend dessert.
The result is an incredibly tender cake with an intense chocolate flavor, dotted with slightly tart cherries, an absolute delight, something that your whole family will love.
Featured comment from Alice: I just made it again with the last cherries of the season. Always a delight!
Ingredients: 10 | Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 10 slices | Difficulty: Easy
Recipe ingredients
Cherries: Fresh, frozen, or canned cherries all work. If using frozen or canned cherries, drain and pat them dry well before adding them to the cake.
Chocolate: I recommend dark chocolate with 60-80% cocoa. Semi-sweet chocolate also works but will make the cake sweeter.
Nuts: I use ground hazelnuts, which pair beautifully with chocolate and cherries. Ground almonds work as well.
- This Cherry and Almond Cake is also made with almonds.
Butter: Unsalted butter is best. European-style butter with a higher fat content gives the cake a richer flavor.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make cherry chocolate cake?
- Step #1 Pit fresh cherries with a cherry pitter. If using frozen or canned cherries, thaw or drain them well and pat dry.
- Step #2: Melt the chopped chocolate gently over a water bath and let it cool slightly.
- Step #3: Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites with part of the sugar until stiff. Beat the butter with the remaining sugar until fluffy.
- Step #4: Add the egg yolks and melted chocolate.
- Step #5: Mix flour, baking powder, hazelnuts, and salt separately.
- Step #6: Add to the chocolate mixture and mix briefly.
- Step #7: Fold in the beaten egg whites.
- Step #8: Pour the batter into the pan and arrange the cherries on top. Bake for about 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool briefly in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack.
Variations
Other fruit: Tart berries like raspberries, red currants, or black currants work especially well. Peaches, nectarines, or pears are also delicious with chocolate.
For an even more chocolatey cake, fold a handful of chocolate chips or chopped chocolate into the batter.
Tips
Use a digital scale: Baking is much more reliable when the ingredients are measured accurately.
Room temperature ingredients: Soft butter and room-temperature eggs help create a smooth batter.
Bake immediately: Once the batter is mixed, place the cake in the oven so the baking powder can do its job.
Storage
Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days. If the weather is very warm, refrigerate it because the cherries can spoil faster.
Refrigerate leftovers for 3-4 days.
Freeze the cake, wrapped well, for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
How to serve?
Serve the cake slightly warm or cooled, dusted with icing sugar, with whipped cream, Vanilla Sauce, or ice cream.
For an extra cherry flavor, serve it with Cherry Sauce. Chocolate lovers can add chocolate ganache or frosting.
Cherry Chocolate Cake
Equipment
- springform of about 9.5 inches/ 24 cm
Ingredients
- 2½ cups cherries fresh, frozen, or canned, 12.5 oz, Notes 1,2
- 3.5 oz dark chocolate 60-80% cocoa, Note 3
- 4 large eggs
- â…” cup unsalted butter soft
- ½ cup white sugar divided
- ¼ cup brown sugar Note 4
- ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 3.5 oz/ ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon
- ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon ground hazelnuts
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/ 180°C. Grease and flour the springform.
- Cherries: Pit fresh fruit. If using frozen fruit, defrost and pat it dry with paper towels. If using canned fruit, drain and pat it dry as well.2½ cups cherries
- Melt chocolate in a bain-marie (water bath): Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan with gently simmering water. Make sure the bowl doesn't touch the water. Stir often until smooth. If the water gets too hot, remove the saucepan from the heat and continue stirring until the chocolate is fully melted.3.5 oz dark chocolate
- Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites with ¼ cup/ 50 g of the white sugar until stiff and glossy. Set aside.4 large eggs + ¼ cup/ 50 g of the white sugar
- Wet ingredients: Beat the soft butter, the remaining white sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy.⅔ cup unsalted butter + the remaining white sugar + ¼ cup brown sugar
- Mix in the egg yolks and the melted and cooled chocolate.
- Dry ingredients: Mix flour, baking powder, ground hazelnuts, and salt in another bowl. Add them to the butter mixture and mix in very shortly, just until combined.¾ cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour + 1 teaspoon baking powder + ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon ground hazelnuts + pinch salt
- Carefully fold in the beaten egg whites.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Top the cake batter with the cherries.
- Bake for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Check after about 30-40 minutes. If the top of the cake starts to get dark too soon, cover the pan loosely with a piece of aluminum foil to prevent it from getting burned.
- Let cool in the pan for about 20 minutes. Release it from the form and let cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
- Measurements: Use a digital kitchen scale; baking is a science, and measuring the ingredients correctly guarantees the best results.Â
- Cherries: I weighed the cherries after pitting.
- Semi-sweet chocolate is also fine; the cake will be a bit sweeter.
- Sugar: If you don't have brown sugar, replace it with white sugar.
Alice says
I just made it again with the last cherries of the season. Always a delight!