Chocolate cherry cake is a moist and decadent chocolate cake filled with sweet cherry pie filling. Top this cherry chocolate cake with chocolate icing and more cherries for a quick and easy to make cake that’s perfect for gatherings and celebrations.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
I absolutely adore a delicious and simple chocolate cake that comes together quickly and easily. My Buttermilk Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake, Chocolate Ganache Cake, Chocolate Fudge Cake and Chocolate Poke Cake are just a few I love from the blog. I am so excited to add this cherry chocolate cake recipe to my growing collection of easy chocolate cake recipes.
- It has the perfect contrast of taste and texture. This easy chocolate cherry cake is a chocolate and cherry lovers dream. The chocolate devil’s food cake is rich, decadent and moist. Which pairs perfectly with the sweet cherry pie filling, almond extract and the chocolate icing.
- Easy to make with simple ingredients. This chocolate cherry pie cake is made with pantry basics such as chocolate cake mix and cherry pie filling. What I love most about this cherry pie chocolate cake recipe is that the entire cake can be made using two bowls and a whisk.
Ingredients
This chocolate cake with cherry pie filling requires only a handful of ingredients to make. Here’s what you’ll need.
Gather chocolate cake mix, eggs, sour cream, almond extract, cherry pie filling and mini chocolate chips.
Gather chocolate chips, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk.
Substitutions
Here are my recommended substitutions to make this chocolate cherry pie filling cake recipe.
- Box Chocolate Cake Mix: I prefer using boxed chocolate cake mix to make this chocolate cherry cake super easy.
- Eggs: This recipe hasn’t been tested without eggs.
- Sour Cream: Use an equal amount of full fat greek yogurt.
- Almond Extract: This is a classic pairing with baking with cherries. Feel free to omit if you prefer or use vanilla extract.
- Cherry Pie Filling: To make this cherry and chocolate cake super easy, use any cherry pie filling you like. If you can’t find cherry pie filling, any berry filling will work just as well.
- Chocolate Chips: This is totally optional, but adds more melty chocolate flavor.
Variations
- Chocolate Cherry Bundt Cake: Generously grease a 10 -inch (12 cup capacity) bundt pan. Prepare the cake according to the recipe directions. Bake the bundt cake at 350 F (177 C) for about 40 -45 minutes. Top with the icing or simple chocolate ganache.
- Cherry Chocolate Cupcakes: Prepare the cake batter according to the recipe directions. Portion into cupcake liners and bake about 18 - 25 minutes. Top with chocolate buttercream, cream cheese frosting or chocolate icing.
- Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake: To make this recipe as a dump cake follow my cherry dump cake recipe, but use chocolate cake mix instead of yellow cake mix.
How To Make
Learn how to make chocolate cherry cake in a few easy steps.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Lightly grease and line the bottom and long sides of a 9 x 13 inch cake pan with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, sour cream, almond extract and chocolate cake mix until well combined. Stir in the cherry pie filling and chocolate chips.
- Pour the chocolate and cherry cake into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool the cake in the cake pan for 1 hour.
- Make the chocolate icing by melting chocolate chips and butter in a microwave safe bowl for 30 - 45 seconds, stirring in between round of heating. Once the chocolate is smooth, melted and well combined with the butter, mix in the powdered sugar, vanilla and warm milk as needed to achieve your preferred texture of the icing.
4. Once the cake is cooled and the icing is made, quickly smooth the chocolate icing across the top of the cooled cake. Slice the cake, top with more cherries if you like and enjoy.
How To Freeze and Store and Serve
- Store: Transfer the cake to an airtight container at in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: Prepare the cake entirely according to the recipe directions. Do not top with the chocolate icing. Wrap the entire cake, while still in the pan, in 2 layers of plastic wrap and then a foil layer. Store the cake in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Thaw: Transfer the cherry pie filling cake to thaw at room temperature for a few hours or in the fridge overnight.
- Serve: Top the cake with the suggested chocolate icing, cream cheese icing or with powered sugar. Serve with more cherries or some reserved cherry pie filling.
M’s Expert Tips
- Think of the chocolate cake mix as the “dry ingredients.” This cake recipe uses box cake mix as the dry ingredients, not as a stand alone cake recipe. Do not use the same ingredients listed on the back of the box.
- Choose your favorite flavor box cake mix. I personally love chocolate and cherry together. However, several other cake mixes will pair wonderfully with cherry pie filling. Vanilla, yellow, or even red velvet would be really delicious with cherry pie filling.
- Add chocolate chips. For even more chocolate flavor, add the suggested cup of mini chocolate chips to the cake batter.
- Reserve some cherry pie filling for topping. The pie filling gets mixed in really well in the chocolate cake resulting in chunks of cherries. For more cherry flavor serve the cake along side another can of cherry pie filling or reserve about ½ cherries from the pie filling.
- Make this cake as cupcakes, a bundt cake or even as a dump cake. Prepare the recipe according to the recipe directions, portion into cupcake liners and bake about 18 - 25 minutes. For a bundt cake, bake at 350 F for about 40 - 45 minutes. To make this recipe as a dump cake, follow my cherry dump cake recipe, but use chocolate mix instead of yellow mix.
- Fully cool the cake. The cake must be fully cooled before topping with frosting, icing or powdered sugar.
FAQs
Yes, adding pie filling to cake mix creates the most delicious and moist cherry chocolate cake. It’s as simple as folding in the cherry pie mix the same as you would folding in any fruit to a cake batter.
The sweet syrup in the cherry pie filling plays an important role in the final texture and taste of the cake. For this reason, cherry pie filling is recommended over using fresh cherries.
Yes, this cake can be made in a bundt pan instead of a 9 x 13 pan. Prepare the recipe according to the directions. Bake the bundt cake at 350 F (177 C) for about 40 -45 minutes. Top with the icing or simple chocolate ganache.
Yes, simply use a gluten free cake mix or make your own gluten free cake.
Other Cherry Recipes To Try
If you try this Chocolate Cherry Cake recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking!
Chocolate Cherry Cake Recipe
Equipment
- 1 sheet parchment paper
- 1 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) cake pan
- 1 whisk and flexible spatula or spoon
Ingredients
Chocolate Cherry Cake
- 1 15.25 oz. chocolate cake mix
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup (120 g) sour cream, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 21 oz. canned cherry pie filling
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips, optional
Chocolate Icing
- 3 oz. chocolate chips
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1½ - 2 cups (180 - 240 g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 - 4 tablespoons (45 - 60 ml) warm milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Lightly grease and line the bottom and long sides of a 9 x 13 inch cake pan with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, sour cream, almond extract and chocolate cake mix until well combined. Stir in the cherry pie filling and chocolate chips.If you would like, reserve up to ½ cup cherry pie filling to top pieces of the cake. Alternatively, top the cake with another can of cherry pie filling or use fresh cherries.1 15.25 oz. chocolate cake mix, 3 large eggs, room temperature, ½ cup (120 g) sour cream, room temperature, 1 teaspoon almond extract , 1 21 oz. canned cherry pie filling, 1 cup mini chocolate chips, optional
- Pour the chocolate and cherry cake into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool the cake in the cake pan for 1 hour. Remove the cake from the pan, remove the parchment paper and return the cooled cake to the pan or to a serving platter.
- Make the chocolate icing by melting chocolate chips and butter in a microwave safe bowl for 30 - 45 seconds, stirring in between round of heating. Once the chocolate is smooth, melted and well combined with the butter, mix in the powdered sugar, vanilla and warm milk as needed to achieve your preferred texture of the icing.3 oz. chocolate chips, 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1½ - 2 cups (180 - 240 g) powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract , 3 - 4 tablespoons (45 - 60 ml) warm milk
- Once the cake is cooled and the icing is made, quickly smooth the chocolate icing across the top of the cooled cake. Slice the cake, top with more cherries if you like and enjoy.
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