Description
A rich and moist Chocolate Cherry Cake featuring ground almonds and cocoa powder, studded with fresh or frozen cherries and topped with a glossy cherry jam glaze. Perfect served slightly warm with thick whipped cream, blending deep chocolate flavors with the tartness of cherries for a delightful dessert experience.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Ingredients
- 225 g (1 cup minus 1 tbsp) unsalted butter room temperature, cut into chunks
- 200 g (1 cup) golden caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 4 medium eggs
- 200 g (1 2/3 cups) ground almonds (course almond meal)
- 50 g (1/2 cup) cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 100 g (3.5 oz) dark chocolate (70%) melted
- 50 g (1/3 cup) chocolate chips
- 300 g fresh or frozen black cherries pitted
- 2 tbsp cherry jam
To Serve
- Thick whipped cream
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Set the oven to 170C/325F (fan) and lightly grease a 23 cm diameter loose-bottomed flan tin.
- Whisk Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar with an electric whisk or stand mixer until fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add Extracts and Eggs: Add vanilla and almond extracts, then whisk while adding eggs one at a time. The mixture may look split but will come back together.
- Fold Dry Ingredients: Gently fold in the ground almonds, cocoa powder, and baking powder until combined.
- Incorporate Chocolate: Fold in melted dark chocolate and chocolate chips thoroughly.
- Prepare Cake Tin: Spoon and level the mixture evenly into the prepared flan tin.
- Arrange Cherries: Slice half of the cherries in half and leave the other half whole. Arrange all cherries cut-side-up on top of the batter and press slightly into the mixture.
- Bake: Bake in the oven for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Glaze Cake: Mix cherry jam with 2 tbsp cold water and brush over the warm cake surface.
- Cool and Serve: Let cake cool in the tin for 20 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool further. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature topped with thick whipped cream, optionally swirling in some cherry jam and garnishing with fresh cherries.
Notes
- You can use fresh, frozen, or tinned cherries. If frozen, use while still frozen or drain excess liquid if thawed. For tinned cherries, rinse off syrup.
- The cake can be made ahead and stored at room temperature covered for up to 3 days.
- Reheat individual slices in the microwave for a few seconds to serve warm.
- For freezing, cool cake completely, then cover and freeze. Defrost overnight in fridge and bring to room temp before serving.
- Check cocoa powder and baking powder for gluten-free certification if needed.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (approx. 100 g)
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 24 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg
