Triple Chocolate Cherry Cake — 🍫🍒 This MOIST and TENDER cake is loaded with juicy cherries and topped with an easy homemade chocolate frosting! Boxed chocolate cake mix is doctored up with canned cherry pie filling to make the BEST cake ever! This recipe might use some baking shortcuts, but it tastes homemade!
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Easy Chocolate Cake with Cherries
This chocolate cherry cake is the easiest cake ever. Oh, how I love baking shortcuts and timesavers!
It’s perfect for potlucks, picnics, or parties, because who can say no to chocolate cake, chocolate chips in the cake, and homemade chocolate frosting?
You make the cake by combining a box of devil’s food cake mix with eggs and cherry pie filling. You don’t need to add the water or oil that the mix calls for, just the eggs, pie filling, and almond extract to enhance the flavor.
The result is a supremely moist chocolate cake that’s loaded with cherry chunks. The juicy cherries amidst the rich cake are perfect, and the cake is lightly flavored with almond extract, which perfectly complements the cherries.
Ingredients for Chocolate Cherry Cake
I made this chocolate cake with cherry pie filling to save time, but it tastes completely homemade! If you’ve never used cherry pie filling in a cake before, just trust me when I say the result is phenomenal!
Here’s what you’ll need for the chocolate cherry cake itself:
- Boxed Devil’s Food Cake mix
- Eggs
- Almond extract
- Cherry pie filling
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
And for the homemade chocolate frosting, you’ll need:
- Chocolate
- Unsalted butter
- Confectioners’ sugar
- Dutch process cocoa powder
- Salt
- Light corn syrup
- Vanilla extract
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Chocolate Cherry Cake
Making the chocolate cake with cherry pie filling is so simple! Here are the basic steps:
- Make the frosting: Add the cake mix, eggs, and almond extract to a large mixing bowl and mix.
- Add the cherry pie filling and stir by hand to incorporate, then stir in the chocolate chips.
- Spread the chocolate cake batter in a prepared 9×13-inch pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Make the frosting: Melt the chocolate, let cool, then blend in a food processor alongside the butter, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, corn syrup, and vanilla.
- Frost the cake: Spread the frosting over the chocolate cherry cake once the cake has fully cooled.
Recipe FAQs
No, I’ve only made this recipe using cherry pie filling. I know not everyone is a fan of cherry pie filling desserts, but trust me, this one is delicious!
To my knowledge, regular cherries won’t work here.
Of course! I absolutely adored the frosting, but if you’d like to try another one I would recommend this light and fluffy chocolate frosting. Or if you want a boiled frosting like you’d find in a Texas sheet cake, I’d go with this chocolate icing. Or try this chocolate ganache, or just use canned frosting from the baking aisle. No judgment here!
Absolutely! If serving to guests, I recommend making the cake no more than 24 hours in advance. But it’s so moist that you can probably stretch it to 48 hours in advance.
My gut says no since the chocolate cherry cake is so moist. I typically avoid making layer cakes anyways because they require too much effort!
NO! I cannot stress how important it is to add ONLY the ingredients I’ve listed in the recipe card below to the chocolate cake mix, and not the ingredients that are listed on the box. If you add the additional ingredients listed on the boxed cake mix, this cake won’t turn out right!
Storage Instructions
Cake: Will keep airtight at room temp for up to 2 days or in the fridge for 1 week. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Frosting: You may have a small amount of extra frosting, which will keep airtight in the fridge for at least 1 week.
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Triple Chocolate Cherry Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- one 15.25-ounce box devil’s food cake mix
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon almond extract, or to taste
- one 21-ounce can cherry pie filling
- 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Frosting
- 8 ounces chocolate, melted and cooled*
- 1 ¼ cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- ¾ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder**
- pinch of salt
- ¾ cup light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a 9×13-inch pan aluminum foil for easier cleanup and spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- To a large bowl, add the cake mix, eggs, almond extract and beat with a handheld electric mixer on low speed for about 90 seconds; mixture will be dry with pea-sized lumps and clumps.
- Add the cherry pie filling and stir by hand to incorporate.
- Add the chocolate chips and stir by hand to incorporate; batter will be thick and somewhat lumpy.
- Turn batter out into prepared pan and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs but no batter. Allow cake to cool in pan on a wire rack for about 1 hour, or until cooled completely before frosting it.
Make the Frosting
- To a large microwave-safe bowl, add the chocolate (break it into pieces or roughly chop) and heat on high power to melt. Stop every 20 seconds to check and stir. Once chocolate can be stirred smooth, set aside to cool.
- To a large canister of a food processor, add the butter, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and process on high speed until smooth, about 30 to 60 seconds, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the corn syrup, vanilla, and process on high until just combined, about 10 seconds.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the melted chocolate, and pulse until smooth and creamy, 10 to 15 one-second pulses.
- Evenly frost the cake.
Notes
- *I used a mixture of Trader Joe’s 72% Pound Plus Bar and Dark Chocolate Pound Plus Bar.
- **Original recipe calls for Dutch-processed, but I used regular Hershey’s.
- You may have a small amount of extra frosting which will keep airtight in the fridge for at least 1 week. Cake will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Cake adapted from Betty Crocker, Frosting from Brown Eyed Baker via Cooks Illustrated
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I’ve had this recipe in my tabs for a while now but I finally made it! Yay!
I don’t usually use cake mixes, so I had to remember to buy it, and then when presented with all the options I was at a bit of a loss, so I just went with the one that was on sale – a Betty Crocker chocolate cake, not devil’s food.
Other than that, the only changes I made were I split the batter between two 8×8 square cake pans and, instead of lining the pans with tinfoil, I greased them with crisco and put parchment paper across the pan so it went up two sides and across the bottom, also then greasing that. I’m glad I did because it’s a pretty sticky cake.
I did not make any icing because it’s very nice on its own, and very sweet. Icing, in my opinion, is overkill and might send one into a diabetic coma.
It kind of reminds me of a very soft, caky brownie (with cherries!). I’ve frozen most of it. Like brownies, I think it will be really good half frozen. It would also be terrific to substitute for the brownie in a brownie sundae. Mmm – a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream, a drizzle of hot fudge, whipped cream, and – of course – a cherry on top!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you finally made this after years of having your eye on it and that it was a winner!
This cake came out absolutely delicious and decadent with the heavenly chocate frosting. I also used some dark chocolate bars from Trader Joe’s and it was not too or overly sweet I liked the consistency of the frosting because it was so easy to spread on top of the 9 x 13” cake. I can’t wait to serve it at our Father’s Day dinner!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad this came out delicious and decadent for you! Decadent is the word I would use too for this cake thanks to the frosting – I love the consistency and texture of it too!
“You may have a small amount of extra frosting”
You’re kidding, right? You might but I won’t.
Haha! I know, it’s pretty amazing frosting and I could eat it by the spoonful :)
Have made this recipe a few times and love it! What would the bake time be if doing cupcakes instead of cake?
Thanks for the 5 star review, Grace, and you can make as cupcakes and generally cupcakes take about 20-25 minutes but because this is a wet batter, probably on the longer side of that estimate, but also depends on how big they are too. But that’s a guesstimate.
My family absolutely loved this cake. We didn’t do the icing because of the corn syrup In it. But without the the icing it’s just as delicious 😋
I’m glad your family loved the cake, even without the icing! That’s great to hear! You can use any type of frosting/icing you want – it doesn’t have to be this one. For example here’s another great chocolate buttercream with traditional ingredients
Would this work with a gluten free cake mix? I love chocolate with cherries!
I haven’t tested it, but I would assume yes. Because you’re just doctoring up cake mix, and the GF mixes have been tested to work and work well, so you should likely be just fine.
My son and I found this recipe the day before his birthday in 2017 and went out to get the ingredients that night to make this cake for his birthday. I bookmarked it because every year he asks for this cake on his birthday. Honestly I should print it out…lol! But, since I am here again this year on his birthday to make sure I am doing his favorite cake right, I thought I would let you know that we are still loving this cake 4 birthdays later. He is 11 today and can’t wait toenjoyhis favorite cake 🥰.
My son and I found this recipe the day before his birthday in 2017 and went out to get the ingredients that night to make this cake for his birthday. I bookmarked it because every year he asks for this cake on his birthday. Honestly I should print it out…lol! But, since I am here again this year on his birthday to make sure I am doing his favorite cake right, I thought I would let you know that we are still loving this cake 4 birthdays later. He is 11 today and can’t wait toenjoyhis favorite cake 🥰.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this is a a repeated favorite bday cake! That is wonderful to hear this is the cake of all cakes that he chooses for his bday!
Can I skip the chocolate chips? Also, no oil or butter in the recipe?
Can I skip the chocolate chips? Also, no oil or butter in the recipe?
Can I skip the chocolate chips? Also, no oil or butter in the recipe?
Yes you can skip the chocolate chips.
Correct, no butter/oil.
This looks very tasty
I just made this recipe and it is heavenly and so moist! I made cupcakes instead of cake and it turned out great. I skipped the frosting to save some calories but might have to try it another time – it’s calling my name. lol
I just made this recipe and it is heavenly and so moist! I made cupcakes instead of cake and it turned out great. I skipped the frosting to save some calories but might have to try it another time – it’s calling my name. lol
I am glad it turned out great as cupcakes and you’re happy!
If making cupcakes out of the Triple Chocolate Cherry cake, what would be the cook time? And is oven temp the same?
The almond extract in your ganache recipe was wonderful on this moist, easy, delicious cake! Thank you for this fantastic recipe! Will be making this many times again! Everyone from the kids to the adults LOVED it!