Easy Chocolate Cake With Cherry Topping Favorite Family Recipes

This easy chocolate cake recipe is as simple to make as it is tasty! It whips up in no time, yet is a decadent and delicious dessert. It is quick, easy, and perfect for an “emergency” dessert when you are asked last minute! Everyone loves chocolate with fruit on top! Make this rich, decadent cake that is moist and delicious with a light and tasty frosting and a sweet cherry on top! This is a great dessert for special occasions, for a birthday, or for potlucks. Watch this chocolate cake with cherry topping disappear within minutes!

Chocolate Cake Ingredients

Chocolate cake is always a favorite dessert in our home. There are only five ingredients and they can all be stored in your pantry or refrigerator to have on hand. Upgrade your boxed mix with a few ingredients to make this the best chocolate cake recipe!

Chocolate cake mix – We like to use chocolate fudge cake mix or devil’s food cake mix. Any of your favorite chocolate cake mixes are great. You will make the cake according to the back of the package. Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients to make the moist chocolate cake recipe. You can also use our homemade chocolate cake recipe! Cream cheese – Sit this cream cheese bar out on the countertop to let it reach room temperature. This will soften the cream cheese and make it easier to cream for the frosting. Powdered sugar – This will help thicken and add sweetness to the frosting. Cool whip – This gives a smooth and creamy appearance as well as a light and tasty flavor and texture to the whipped topping. You can also use homemade whipped cream. Cherry pie filling – Make it easy and use this canned pie filling for the topping. It is sweet and has real cherries that taste delicious, making this the perfect combination!

How to Make Easy Chocolate Cake with Cherries

This cake really is super easy to make! First, simply make the chocolate cake mix in the oven. Then, whisk or mix together the frosting ingredients. Layer the chocolate cake, whipped frosting, and cherries for a decadent and delicious dessert!

Tips for Using a Box Cake Mix

The convenience of using a boxed cake mix over a cake from scratch saves time and money. With a few quick tips, a boxed cake mix can taste like the homemade chocolate cakes your Grandma used to make. These tricks work like a charm every time!

Substitute oil – Use melted, unsalted butter instead of oil. It adds a rich flavor to the cake. Creamy milk – Use milk instead of water. This also enhances the richness of the cake. For a lighter, fluffier cake, sift the cake mix before adding the other ingredients. Another way! For an extra rich and dense cake, don’t use the ingredients recommended on the side of the box. Mix the cake mix with 4 egg whites, 1 tablespoon vanilla, ⅓ cup vegetable oil, ¾ cup buttermilk, and ¾ cup sour cream. Don’t over bake – This will dry it out. Use the toothpick test to check for doneness. Chocolate frosting – Use a chocolate buttercream frosting or chocolate ganache for a chocolate lovers dream cake! This is used with dutch-process cocoa or unsweetened cocoa powder depending on the recipe. Make it fancy! Make cake layers by using cake pans instead of a 9×13 glass pan. When using cake pans, make sure to spray the pan and add flour to help release the cake from the pans. Let cool on wire racks. Cut off the tops of the cake and use the frosting to in between and on top of the chocolate cake. Top with cherries for a fancier cake!

Additions and Variations

Want to try something new? Here are some variations and serving suggestions:

Chocolate Chips – Add chocolate chips to the batter before baking for a gooey chocolatey surprise. Mini chocolate chips work great because they distribute better in the batter without sinking to the bottom. Different Pie Fillings – Strawberry, Raspberry, or even Blueberry pie fillings will also work great for this recipe. Vanilla Ice Cream – Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side to add a cool contrast to the cake. Whipped Cream – Make your own whipped cream instead of using Cool Whip.

How to Store Chocolate Cake with Cherry Topping

Most glass pans have a lid that comes with them, especially if you are using pyrex. This combination is perfect when baking cakes. You can easily store the airtight container on the counter or in the fridge.

More Decadent Chocolate Cakes

While we’re on the subject of chocolate, try some of our other divinely rich chocolatey desserts. Romantic dinners topped with a sinfully sweet slice of cake? Your sweetheart will thank you!

Coca-Cola Cake – This Coca-Cola Cake is a moist, chocolatey dessert flavored with the popular, fizzy, soda. Topped with frosting and maraschino cherries. Texas Sheet Cake – Texas Sheet Cake is a moist, rich cake with a fudgy, decadent frosting. It is easy to make and it can feed a crowd the size of Texas! Chocolate Bundt Cake – This Chocolate Bundt Cake recipe is rich, moist, and delicious! Our recipe tastes just like the cake you can get at the popular Nothing Bundt Cakes shop, but at a fraction of the price.