Chocolate Cherry Cake with Fudge Frosting

When I saw this cake on The Sisters’ Cafe, I wanted to make it before I even read the recipe. And then I read the recipe and saw how easy it was, and I knew I’d be making it sooner rather than later. I also knew that we would all love it, and I was right. We did.

Brittany, the sister who posted the recipe, had never heard of this cake before –- and neither had I. It’s absolutely genius to use cherry pie filling in place of the oil called for in the cake mix. The result is a flavorful, moist, delicious chocolate cake. Next time (and there will definitely be a next time) I’m going to try it with strawberry pie filling; I think that would taste amazing. And the frosting! I should write a poem declaring my love for this frosting. It’s so rich and fudgy.

The only change I made to the recipe was to use vanilla extract instead of almond -– I had a bad experience with almond extract recently (I used too much in a recipe, and it was overkill), so I’m staying away from it for now.

Make this for dessert tonight. It’ll take you five minutes to mix up, and you won’t believe how good it is.

And for more chocolate cherry love, try these yummy cookies!

Chocolate Cherry Cake with Fudge Frosting
source: adapted from The Sisters’ Cafe

1 box of devil's food cake mix
1 20- or 21-ounce can cherry pie filling
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
2 eggs

1 cup white sugar

5 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup milk

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13-inch pan.

2. In a large bowl, combine dry cake mix, cherry pie filling, eggs, and vanilla or almond extract. Stir by hand until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.

3. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

4. To make the frosting, in a small saucepan, combine sugar, butter, and milk. Boil, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips until smooth. Immediately pour over partially cooled cake.