| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 5 min |
| Prep: | 15 min |
| Cook: | 50 min |
| Yield: | One 9-by-13-inch cake, about 15 large slices |
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 5 min |
| Prep: | 15 min |
| Cook: | 50 min |
| Yield: | One 9-by-13-inch cake, about 15 large slices |
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour, for dusting pan
- 1 box German chocolate cake mix
- Butter, for greasing pan
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup fresh or frozen and thawed whole cherries, pitted and minced
- 1/2 cup brandy
- 1/2 cup simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar simmered, then cooled)
- Pinch ground cinnamon
- Pinch ground nutmeg
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips
- 2 cups fresh or frozen and thawed whole cherries, pitted
- Chopped chocolate
Instructions
- For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.
- Prepare the cake mix according to package instructions.
- In a large bowl, combine the cake batter with the coconut and pecans. Stir until just mixed.
- In a small saucepan, combine the cherries, brandy and simple syrup. Place the mixture over medium-low heat and simmer until the liquid is reduced to a thick syrup. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- Pour half the cake batter into the prepared baking pan. Top with the cherry mixture. Pour the remaining cake batter over top and smooth lightly. Bake the cake according to package instructions, about 35 minutes, adding a few minutes. The cake is ready when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clear of batter. Let the cake cool a few minutes before slicing.
- For the garnish: In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream and butter over medium-low heat. When the cream is just up to a simmer, remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
- Slice the cake and drizzle the melted chocolate over each slice. Garnish with a few whole cherries and some chopped chocolate.
Reviews
This was fabulous! I made it for my husband’s birthday last week. He loves both chocolate and cherries, and this seemed like a great combination and not very difficult. I made and cooled the simple syrup ahead of time, as well as the cherry sauce reduction (I used almost a cup of cherries instead of 1/2 a cup, since they were the most time consuming part of the recipe. After that it was a snap to put the cake together in less than an hour. The chocolate sauce was divine! I served it to my husband warm with the sauce drizzled over the top and some extra cherries and he was in heaven! He has requested this cake for his birthday from now on – no substitutions! I highly recommend this recipe! Great job, Lou!