This is a little Cherry Chocolate Loaf Cake adapted from the back of a box of cherry extract. Since originally posting, I've made it with different extracts including almond, vanilla, and black cherry from Olive Nation. Use whatever extract you like because it's the chocolate chips and cherries in the cake that make it special.
Cherry Chocolate Loaf Cake or Bundt
Even without icing, the cake is moist and chocolaty. The cherry extract makes it taste even more like a Black Forest cake. You can use Maraschino or Morello cherries. I had hoped to make one with Morello cherries for the new photos, but couldn't open the jar and had to use Maraschinos again. They worked just fine.
8x4 Inch Loaf Pan
Most loaf pans are 8 ½ by 4 ½ inches or slightly larger. This cake fits in an 8x4 inch, or slightly smaller. I use the Fat Daddio ones that come in sets of two. If you bake this cake in a larger loaf pan, be sure to check earlier since the batter will be spread across a larger surface. But I recommend buying some 8x4 inch loaf pans because they come in handy for half batches of just about any standard Bundt.
Some Adjustments
Since this is a relative deep cake baked in an 8x4 inch loaf pan, I went with a lower, slower bake and dialed down the temperature to 325F. This made the cake even fudgier, so I recommend using 325. To keep things simple, I topped it with a dusting of powdered sugar and drizzled melted chocolate chips over the top. My favorite method of doing this is to put the chips directly in a heavy duty freezer bag or decorating bag, microwave at 50% power to melt, then snip the corner of the bag and squeeze lines of chocolate.
Recipe
Cherry Chocolate Loaf Cake
Ingredients
- 4 oz unsalted butter, softened (114 grams)
- ¾ cup very firmly packed light brown sugar (150 grams)
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoon cherry extract or vanilla or almond
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, weigh or spoon into cup (130 grams)
- 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, natural (30 grams)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup strong black coffee or water
- 1 cup halved Maraschino cherries or drained Morellos patted dry
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet or extra dark chocolate chips, divided
Topping
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar plus the other ½ cup chips from above
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8x4 inch loaf pan. Note, this is a pretty small loaf pan. You can use a larger one, but the cake will be shorter in stature and might take longer to bake.
- Mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt together in a medium size bowl and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar for about two minutes or until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat for 30 seconds after each egg. Beat in the cherry extract. By hand or using lowest speed of the mixer, stir in the flour mixture. Stir in the cherries and 1 cup of the chocolate chips. Save remaining for top.
- Pour batter into pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs. Let cool for about 15 minutes in the pan, then turn onto a cooling rack and let cool completely.
- Dust with powdered sugar. Melt the reserved chocolate chips in the microwave and drizzle over the top.
Claire Schofield says
Totally delicious cake! The chocolate/cherry combo is excellent. To be recommended. This recipes makes into four lovely mini loaves.
Katrina says
I third the note to weigh ingredients!! Better results.
Love chocolate/cherry combo. I like raspberry with chocolate even more and just bought some Watkins raspberry yesterday, too.
Sue says
I second Anna's thoughts about weighing flour. I wish ALL recipes had flour weights. It would shorten the learning curve for new bakers who might not understand why their cake turned out dense or flat, or why their cookies spread, or didn't flatten as intended. Weighing ingredients also means no measuring cups and less clean up! I'm all for that. 😉
Anna says
Karen, all cakes are sensitive. All-purpose flours are all similar, but the way people scoop them is not. Some people use a heavy hand while others use a light hand. A cup of flour can weigh anywhere from 4 oz to 6 oz depending on how it's packed into a cup. Weighing flour ensures that the amount of flour called for in a recipe matches what the baker actually uses. That being said, if you've been baking for years and are accustomed to fluffing your flour and scooping and sweeping it properly. you can probably get away with not using a scale. Personally, I find a scale a lot more accurate and much easier to deal with than aerating the flour (or sifting) and scooping. Thanks for stopping by Cookie Madness.
Karen says
Why are we weighing the flour? Is this cake that sensitive? I would think that all-purpose flours are not that much different from each other.
Needless to say, this cherry chocolate cake sounds delicious. I don't like marachino cherries, so I'll try something like a bing cherry.
Martha in KS says
Anna, wanted to tell you that I noticed today that TJ's has their own brand of chocolate covered cherries - I haven't tried those. The ones that I can vouch are "to die for" are Dillettante Bing Cherries. You can order them online, but I don't recommend it until cooler weather. Mine sat in a hot car today & melted a little.
Anna says
Sara, I haven't come up with a decent clone nor have I heard of Cool Whip Cookies (unless you mean the ones made with cake mix), but that's nice of you to make cookies for your brother's birthday. Maybe you could just go with a really good sugar cookie?
Holiday Baker Man says
I can already taste this. Love that you weigh instead of measure.
Sara says
Hey there! This is random, but did you figure out the perfect Lofthouse cookie recipe yet? I wanted to make them for my brother's birthday. Would cool-whip cookies possibly work for the base?
Sue says
This sounds fabulous. I love chocolate and cherries!!
Fallon says
Yum what a great idea!!
Adam says
I can see a perfect layer of cherry filling going in the middle of this loaf and then into my mouth. *Drooling*
After seeing these images this is about as engaging I can be :).
Rebecca says
Have you tried King Arthur Flour's Cherry Juice Concentrate? I've been enjoying using that in baking and homemade sodas lately.
Anna says
Gloria, Watkins cherry extract has dye, but you could probably find a natural, clear extract on-line. Or you could just make the cake with vanilla extract and some sort of dried fruit that doesn't have any added dyes. I'm not sure off the top of my head whether or not Craisins have dye.
Martha, I haven't tried those. Thanks for the tip!
Martha in KS says
Anna, have you bought the chocolate covered dried cherries at Trader Joe's? I discovered them last month when a store opened in KC. They're similar to some we tried in Seattle, but half the price. In fact I'm going to buy some today for my TX aunt.
Gloria says
This looks rich and delicious-but probably not so rich as to prevent someone from eating too much! I have some instant decaf just waiting for this recipe! I have a friend who would love this cake, but she can't eat any thing with dye. Can you think of a substitute for the cherry extract or maraschino cherries? Or can you tell me if the cherry extract has food coloring in it?