Chocolate Cherry Cake

Take the classic chocolate covered cherry candy and turn it into a cake! This from-scratch rich chocolate cherry cake has homemade chocolate buttercream with cherries in every bite.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 27

Total Time 52

Servings

Calories 561kcal

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (softened)
3/4 cup milk (I used 2%)
1/4 cup maraschino cherry juice
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate (melted)
2 large eggs
3/4 cup chopped maraschino cherries

Chocolate Cherry Frosting:

1 cup butter (softened)
4 cups powdered sugar
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate (melted)
3-5 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
1 cup chopped maraschino cherries (drained well)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour the bottom and sides of two 8" round baking pans.
In a large mixer bowl, combine the flour, sugar, soda, salt, butter, milk, cherry juice, melted chocolate and eggs. Mix well on medium speed for about 2 minutes until the batter is smooth. Scrape the bowl as needed.
Add in the cherries and beat for an additional 1 minute on medium speed.
Divide the batter between the two prepared pans.
Bake for 27-30 minutes or until the center of the cake springs back when you touch it.
Allow the cakes to cool for 5 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
While the cakes are cooling, make the frosting.
In a mixer bowl, beat the butter for 2-3 minutes until it is creamy and almost white in appearance.
Add in the powdered sugar, melted chocolate and 3 tablespoons of cherry juice until light and fluffy. (Add in additional juice, one tablespoon at a time, until the frosting is the consistency you like.)
Gently fold in the drained chopped cherries (these should be well drained so that it doesn't add more liquid to your frosting).
Now it's time to frost the cake!
Place one cake down on a cake plate. Frost the top of the cake. Place the other cake on top of that.
Cover the sides and top with the frosting, smoothing the frosting with a knife or spatula.
Place stemmed maraschino cherries on top if you'd like!
Store the cake at room temperature. Cover the cake once it has been cut into.

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