Chocolate Cherry Pound Cake

Dark, rich and sweet, this chocolate cherry pound cake recipe has a melt in your mouth chocolate ganache glaze. The recipe makes 2 loaves!

Chocolate and cherries. The two just go together, right?

We’ve always been huge fans of chocolate covered cherries, so when I was thinking of a new cake to try, this classic combo immediately came to mind.

slices of chocolate cherry pound cake

This cake is extra chocolaty and super rich. The tart cherries go so well with the sweet chocolate. And the ganache on top is to die for!

What is pound cake?

Pound cake got its name from the ingredients: a pound each of flour, butter, eggs and sugar. Recipes have changed over time and generally pound cake now means a cake that is dense, buttery rich and often made in a loaf pan.

Chocolate Cherry Pound Cake Ingredients

There are a few key ingredients to call out in this recipe:

Dried Tart Cherries.

Make sure you pick up tart cherries instead of sweet cherries. The tangy tart cherries will go so well with the sweet bread. You can usually find dried cherries in the store, but you can also buy them on Amazon.

In order to soften the cherries, you’ll pour warm water over them and allow them to sit for at least 30 minutes. They’ll plump up and be soft in your bread.

Be sure to plan ahead for this step!

pouring warm water over cherries to soften

Dark Cocoa Powder.

Use a high quality dark cocoa powder for this bread. It doesn’t have to be black cocoa powder, but do make sure it is high quality. We like Ghiradelli or this healthy cacao powder that we buy on Amazon.

Butter.

When you are making pound cake, be sure to use real butter. No margarine! Butter will give your cake a velvety texture and rich flavor.

Eggs.

If a recipe doesn’t specify what kind of eggs, choose large eggs. Large eggs are standard. You’ll need 5 for this recipe.

Buttermilk.

Because we do a lot of baking, we almost always have buttermilk on hand. If you can’t get to the store to buy nice, thick buttermilk, make your own! Put a teaspoon of white vinegar and a measuring cup, then add milk to fill the cup. Allow this to sit for a few minutes and the milk will start to curdle. You’ve just made buttermilk!

**Pro Tip: This works best if you use a high fat milk. Whole milk would be perfect for homemade buttermilk.**

How to Make Pound Cake

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease with shortening and flour 2 loaf pans or spray with Baker’s Joy cooking spray.
  • Sift cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
mixing dry ingredient in a bowl for cake
  • Combine butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the paddle
  • attachment and mix on low for 1 to 2 minutes. Then cream the butter on medium speed an additional 3-4 minutes until the butter is almost white in appearance and smooth in texture.
creaming butter in a mixer
  • Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
creaming butter with cocoa powder
  • Add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
adding buttermilk to a cake
  • Drain the plumped cherries well.
  • Add the cherries and the mini chocolate chips to the batter and fold together with a rubber spatula.
  • Divide the batter evenly into two prepared loaf pans. Bake loaf cakes on the center oven rack for 55-65 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
chocolate pound cake that makes 2 loaves
  • Allow the cake to cool for 20 minutes in the pan, then remove it to a cake plate or wire rack to cool completely.

How to Make Chocolate Ganache

Ganache sounds very fancy but it’s actually really easy. And only 2 ingredients!

  • Pour the heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl.
  • Heat the heavy cream in the microwave until it is very hot but not boiling.
  • Add the chocolate chips.
  • Cover the bowl and let the chips sit in the hot cream for 5 minutes.
  • Then remove the cover and mix until the chocolate chips are smooth and dark brown, completely melted and combined with the heavy cream.

Allow the ganache to sit for an additional few minutes until it has thickened very slightly. If you pour the ganache on while it is too hot, it will all run off. Give it time to thicken so it stays on the bread.

pouring ganache over a chocolate cake

How to Store Pound Cake

The first key to storing this cake is to make sure the chocolate ganache is totally set. Store the cake in an airtight container, but make sure it is “loose” so that the ganache stays on the cake. It is safe to store at room temperature.

two slices of chocolate cherry pound cake

Can you freeze pound cake?

Yes! You can freeze this cake. If you know you want to freeze it, I recommend leaving the ganache off and freezing the cake without. That way you can wrap the bread tightly and not worry about the ganache coming off.

chocolate cherry pound cake with mlik

Other Chocolate Cherry Recipes

slices of chocolate pound cake on a plate
slices of chocolate pound cake on a plate

Chocolate Cherry Pound Cake

5 from 4 votes
Dark, rich and sweet, this chocolate cherry pound cake recipe has a melt in your mouth chocolate ganache glaze. The recipe makes 2 loaves!
Servings 20
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour

Ingredients
 

For the cherries:

  • 2 cups dried tart cherries
  • Warm water to cover cherries

For the cake:

For the ganache:

Instructions
 

Prepare the cherries:

  • Cover dried cherries with warm water and set aside so they soften and plump. Allow them to sit for at least 30 minutes and up to an hour.

Make the cake:

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease with shortening and flour 2 loaf pans or spray with Baker’s Joy cooking spray.
  • Sift cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  • Combine butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the paddle
  • attachment and mix on low for 1 to 2 minutes. Then cream the butter on medium speed an additional 3-4 minutes until the butter is almost white in appearance and smooth in texture.
  • Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
  • Add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Drain the plumped cherries well.
  • Add the cherries and the mini chocolate chips to the batter and fold together with a rubber spatula.
  • Divide the batter evenly into two prepared loaf pans. Bake loaf cakes on the center oven rack for 55-65 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
  • Allow the cake to cool for 20 minutes in the pan, then remove it to a cake plate or wire rack to cool completely.

Make the ganache:

  • Pour the heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl.
  • Heat the heavy cream in the microwave until it is very hot but not boiling.
  • Add the chocolate chips.
  • Cover the bowl and let the chips sit in the hot cream for 5 minutes.
  • Then remove the cover and mix until the chocolate chips are smooth and dark brown, completely melted and combined with the heavy cream.
  • Allow the ganache to sit for an additional few minutes until it has thickened very slightly.
  • Drizzle chocolate glaze over the top of the cake, allowing the
  • glaze to run down the sides.
  • After the chocolate is set, cover the cake and store at room temperature.
  • This cake is best served the next day!

Notes

The calories shown are based on each cake being cut into 10 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**

Nutrition

Calories: 605kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 286mg | Potassium: 376mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 53g | Vitamin A: 1147IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 4mg
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Calories 605
Keyword chocolate cake, chocolate cake with cherries, pound cake
Dark, rich and sweet, this chocolate cherry pound cake recipe has a melt in your mouth chocolate ganache glaze. The recipe makes 2 loaves!

About Julie Clark

We are Julie, Maddie, and Kinslee – a mother and daughter team sharing with you the best cakes to satisfy any need or sweet craving that you may have. Welcome to our family’s kitchen!

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Could I make this recipe in a Bundt pan? So 1 pan instead of the 2 loaves.

Can the cherries be soaked in alcohol (whiskey or amaretto).

I know the recipe calls for dark dried cherries, but could the maraschino cherries, if rinsed be used? I have a jar that needs to be used up, saw this recipe and it sounded so Devine!!
Thank you!

5 stars
I had fun making this recipe. It made a LOT…so he prepared with pans! It should be renamed “Death by Chocolate Cherry Pound Cake”…it is so rich!! Like cheesecake or fudge! You definitely need a glass of milk to cut the chocolate deep flavor.

Would love to know how to get one of the mixers used in this recipe. Thanks!