This is a little Cherry Chocolate Loaf Cake adapted from the back of a box of cherry extract. The original version was quite a bit larger so I had to make some adjustments, and I think it came out pretty good. The downside is the cherry extract. It's not a flavoring you see often at the grocery store and has to be ordered. I guess if you like the cake then it's worth it!
Cherry Chocolate Loaf Cake or Bundt
Even without icing, the cake is moist and chocolaty and the cherry extract makes it taste like a black forest cake. If you have some cherry extract, it's a great way to put it to use. I think you could even make it with almond extract instead of cherry since it already has chopped cherries. The recipe calls for Maraschino, but jars of Morello cherries aren't so hard to find these days and should also work.
I may try (still haven't) making this cake as muffins.
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
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (130 grams)
- 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, natural (30 grams)
- ½ teaspoon plus a pinch of baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon plus a pinch of salt
- ½ cup strong black coffee or water
- 1 cup halved Maraschino cherries (Morello should work too) patted dry
- 1 cup semi-sweet or extra dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8 x4 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 chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into pan and bake for 40 to 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.
- Serve dusted with powdered sugar
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?