If the way to someone's heart is through their stomach, this Chocolate Cherry Layer Cake is your one-way direct ticket. Your culinary Cupid's arrow. Your à la carte aphrodesiac.
Simply wow and holy cow. It is The. Very. Best. Cake I've ever made. It's incredibly light and rich at the same time -- right on time for Valentine's Day. Get those candied cherries ordered (maybe the cake pans, too) and bake this cake as soon as they're delivered.
Heck, make it for yourself. You deserve it. I'm serious.
Last summer, Paradise Candied Fruit Company reached out and asked if I would create a recipe using their fruits. I was incredibly excited and honored! My carrot cake recipe with candied orange peel sprang to the front of my mind. I couldn't wait to receive the samples and get baking.
Then life happened.
We suddenly had an opportunity to move back home to Pittsburgh, and we grabbed it with both hands. And I mean SUDDENLY. In a matter of 30 days, we had our house in Louisville on the market and all packed for the movers, I changed jobs, and we closed on our forever house fixer-upper. Seven hours after the closing in Louisville, we pulled into our new driveway in Pittsburgh with the three dogs and a U-Haul full of houseplants and our mattress. The movers showed up with the rest of our stuff the next day.
Holy whirlwind.
We spent months unpacking while fall and a parade of contractors came and went. You got the part about the fixer-upper, right?
As we put the holidays in the rearview mirror, I unpacked my cookbooks. We bought a new range. I was ready to cook, bake, and blog again.
With Valentine's Day around the corner, I abandoned the carrot cake idea in favor of something red & pink. All the stars aligned when I flipped through my Best of the Best from Kentucky Cookbook. I mean, how fitting! I could make something with the candied fruit AND give a little loving nod to the state that graciously embraced us for two years.
This Chocolate Cherry Layer Cake is my adaptation of the Holiday Chocolate Cake on page 205 of this book. It's AH-MAZ-ING. 😍
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Ingredients
Aside from the pantry staples like flour, sugar, baking powder, eggs, etc., here are photos of the key ingredients I used.
- Paradise Fruit Company Candied Whole Cherries - These were sent to me in exchange for posting a recipe. I had never used candied cherries in a recipe before, but this will not be the last. They are a high quality and delicious!
- Ghirardelli 100% Unsweetened Cocoa Powder - Any unsweetened cocoa powder will work well in this recipe. I prefer the deeper flavor of Ghirardelli.
- Galbani Ricotta Cheese - This is a terrific brand, but really any whole milk ricotta is what you want.
- Nielson-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract - This is premium pure vanilla extract. Always choose pure vanilla extract over imitation vanilla. It is more expensive, but it lasts a long time and the flavor is tremendously better. Your baked goods are worth it.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
This cake is perfection as written, but here are a couple ideas in case you can't source these ingredients:
- Grand Marnier - Orange juice concentrate or any orange flavored liquor is a good substitute here. It won't impart quite the same flavor of Grand Marnier, but use what you have!
- Candied Cherries - This cake does not have a strong cherry flavor. I know a few friends who don't like cherries and LOVED this cake. Nonetheless, you can use other candied fruits instead. I would recommend trying candied pineapple, or maybe even candied orange. Keep in mind your filling will turn a shade similar to the fruit you're using. Stay away from using red and green mixed fruit, as your filling may turn an unattractive brown.
Equipment
Here are my go-to items for this recipe and why I reach for them:
USA Pan 9" Round Cake Pans - USA Pan makes incredible bakeware. I love these pans because of their special non-stick, quick release coating. Also they are SO easy to wash, and they are made locally in western PA.
Mercer Culinary Bread Knife - You all know how much I love Mercer Culinary Millenia knives! They have soft, easy grip handles and a nice weight to them. They come in different colors, and they are easy on the wallet!
San Jamar Saf-T-Grip Cutting Board - These cutting boards are the best for safety. The non-slip corners keep the board stable and secure as you cut. The co-polymer material is dishwasher safe, which means it's easy to keep your cutting board from harboring dangerous bacteria. I also love that they are color-coded for food type.
Storage
It is very important to store this cake in the refrigerator, since the cake filling and frosting both contain dairy.
Because of the pretty colors, this chocolate cherry layer cake is beautiful on a cake stand. Definitely use one if you plan to serve it the same day.
Otherwise, I recommend keeping it in a cake carrier like this one I have. It will take up some real estate in your fridge, but it will keep your cake from drying out - and it's fabulous for transporting to parties and potlucks.
Top Tips
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cocoa - for the reasons below in FAQ.
Keep Chocolate Cherry Layer Cake refrigerated, because the filling and frosting are all dairy. Plus, it tastes great chilled!
FAQ
Using coffee instead of water in chocolate cake recipes deepens the flavor of the chocolate. It gives chocolate cakes a boost and adds complexity without adding any discernable coffee flavor. It's a great baking trick!
You will find several good methods online. The one I like best is to put 6-8 toothpicks into the sides of the cake as guides, like this. Make sure your cake is on a pan or plate without raised sides that will get in the way of cutting.
I then take a long serrated bread knife to slowly go around the edges, at first cutting about 1" into the cake all the way around. It is important to keep your knife blade level. Then I do repeated passes all the way around until I've cut all the way through the middle.
It's very important to sift flour when baking for a couple reasons:
1 - Sifting aerates the flour and gives a more accurate measurement. A cup of sifted flour weighs 4.25 ounces, whereas a cup of unsifted weighs 5 ounces. That can make a huge difference in the success of your recipe. This is why I always use my OXO food scale to weigh ingredients, especially flour. I weigh the flour first (cups x 4.25), then sift it into my mixing bowl.
2 - Sifting removes lumps and distributes ingredients evenly throughout your recipe. This will give you better results and better flavor. No one wants to chew a surprise lump of baking soda!
I also sift ingredients like baking powder, baking soda, and cocoa - for reason #2.
Related
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Pairing
These are some of our most popular dishes. Give them a try, too!
Ingredients
CAKE
- 2 cups sugar
- 7.4 ounces all-purpose flour sifted, 7.4 ounces = 1 ¾ cups
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder sifted
- 2 teaspoons baking soda sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder sifted
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup strong black coffee
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
FILLING
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese room temperature, 15 ounces = 1 ¾ cups
- ¼ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons Grand Marnier
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- ⅓ cup candied red cherries chopped medium-fine
- ⅓ cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
ICING
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Grease and flour (with cocoa powder or all-purpose flour) two 9-inch round cake pans.
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
CAKE
- Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda, and baking powder in mixing bowl. Stir in sugar and salt.
- With mixer running, add eggs, buttermilk, coffee, vegetable oil, and vanilla.Beat on medium for about 5 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally, until oil is well-combined in batter.Batter will be very thin.
- Divide batter evenly between the two cake pans.
- Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Cool 10 minutes, then remove from pans.
FILLING
- In mixing bowl, use whisk attachment to combine ricotta cheese, sugar, and Grand Marnier. With mixer running, drizzle in melted butter.Mix 8-10 minutes or until ricotta is very smooth.Stir in by hand chopped cherries and mini chocolate chips.Transfer to another bowl and set aside. Wash and dry mixing bowl and whisk attachment.
ICING
- In mixing bowl, use whisk attachment to whisk heavy cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form.
ASSEMBLE
- Slice cake layers in half horizontally. Use floss or a bread knife to gently cut about an inch into cake all the way around, then continue to work around cake, cutting until cake is evenly cut through.
- Place one layer of cake on plate or platter. Spread ⅓ of the ricotta/cherry filling evenly on top.Repeat with two more layers.
- Add last layer to cake and spread whipped cream icing evenly on top.
- Decorate with additional cherries and colored sugars/sprinkles, if desired.Enjoy! 🍒
Equipment
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Food safety
Food safety is the most important thing about cooking and baking.
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C).
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Use oil with the appropriate smoke point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove.
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