This cherry devil’s food cake is a two layer chocolate cake filled with homemade cherry jam in between and frosted with cherry buttercream along with a smooth, silky & decadent chocolate ganache. This cake will scream summer to you in every single bite. I scaled my go-to chocolate cake recipe up to make a cute little two layer 6 inch cake that’s perfect for a small group. This cake would be perfect for a bbq party, Fourth of July, or just about any sunny summer afternoon!
Ingredients you’ll need
- All-purpose flour: I highly recommend weighing all your ingredients using a kitchen scale for accurate recipe results. If you’re using cups, don’t scoop your cup into the flour. Spoon the flour into your cup and level it off with the back of a knife.
- Cocoa powder: A good quality natural and unsweetened cocoa powder is the best (I use Hersheys and I love it). This can make a huge difference in the taste of chocolate in your baked goods. I highly recommend you use a cocoa powder which is natural and unsweetened.
- Espresso powder: Such small quantities of espresso powder in both the cake and ganache will not add any coffee flavor to your cake but rather, it will only enhance the flavor of chocolate in both of them making them even more delicious!
- Brown sugar: Brown sugar adds more softness and moisture to your muffins along with also helping the muffins to hold their shape and structure.
- Oil: You can use either vegetable oil or canola oil. This is one of the secrets resulting in this cake being ultra soft and moist. Oil reduces the gluten formation in your batter, which makes the cake more moist as compared to using butter as a fat. I do not recommend using olive oil, as it adds a strong flavor of it’s own and changes the taste.
- Egg: Use a large egg and bring it to room temperature before mixing in. Eggs strengthen the binding of your cakes and also add moisture. Having your eggs at room temperature makes it easier to incorporate them and allow them to mix thoroughly in your cake batter. A good way of doing this is by letting them sit in a bowl filled with room temperature water for around 10 minutes or until they come down to room temperature.
- Vanilla: You must use a high quality pure vanilla extract in your recipes. This helps to add a rich flavor to your baked goods especially when they contain chocolate. Pure vanilla extracts are typically dark brown in color. This enhances the flavor of all ingredients and you should never leave this out.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is more acidic and has a higher fat content than whole milk too. Both of these things help it cut through the sweetness of the cake, giving it a better flavor overall. It also helps to add moisture to the cake.
- Hot water: You will need boiling hot water to be directly added to this cake batter after mixing in all the other ingredients.
- Cherries: You will need fresh & ripe cherries to make homemade jam.
- Lemon juice: I recommend using fresh homemade lemon juice instead of store bought for a better flavour.
- Chocolate: I highly recommend using good quality baking chocolate chips or chocolate bars (I use callebaut) to ensure the best flavor. This will also help you get a very silky and shiny chocolate ganache glaze.
- Unsalted Butter: It is very important to have your butter at room temperature. You can ensure this by lightly pressing your finger on the block of butter. It should slightly leave an imprint. I also prefer to use unsalted butter because salted butters have varying amounts of salt content in them and it is always a good idea to add it on your own and avoid your bakes from being too salty.
- Powdered Sugar: This will help add sweetness and thicken to your buttercream. Don’t use granulated sugar as it will not dissolve in your buttercream as well as powdered or confectioners’ sugar will.
- Fresh Cream: This will help your frosting achieve the desired consistency & also make your chocolate ganache more smooth & shiny.
FAQ
How to bake perfectly flat cakes?
Whether you’re making a layer cake or a single layer cake, flat tops are always desirable. The reason why cakes dome that your cake pan heats up much faster than the rest of the cake causing the edges to set before the cake has risen fully, and as the rest of the cake cooks the centre rises and creates a dome. To avoid this from happening you want to protect the edges of your cake pan. To do this, you can wrap cake strips, foil, or a damp cloth around the edges of your cake pan. Be careful with the damp cloth as it might start burning after it completely dries out. This trick will ensure you get flat tops always!
How to pit cherries?
The obvious way to pit cherries is using a cherry pitter. It’s great if you own one. However, if you are like me & you don’t own one, don’t worry I’ve got you! All you need is a piping tip. Any tip will do! Start by removing the stem from the cherry. Place your cherry directly on top of the narrow end of your piping tip. You want the end of the cherry where the stem was to be in contact with your piping tip. Hold both of them firmly & push the piping tip ahead until the seed comes out from the rear end of the cherry. It’s very simple! Repeat with the other cherries.
What makes this cake so soft & moist?
This cake is more moist than others. The reason for that is it uses vegetable or canola oil instead of butter as a fat content. Oil reduces the gluten formation in it which results in this ultra moist and soft cake. I have also added brown sugar & buttermilk to it which adds to moisture and results in a very soft cake. You must store it in an airtight container to avoid it from drying out.
Other summer recipes you’ll love:
Some other tips to make this recipe:
- Make sure you are only using vegetable or canola oil. Do not use olive oil as it adds a strong flavor of it’s own which does not go very well with this chocolate cake.
- If you’re in a pinch and don’t have buttermilk in hand, I have a DIY substitute for this as well. Add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice in half cup. You can double or half this as required. Fill that cup with whole milk to the top. Mix and let it sit for 5 minutes. That’s it, your buttermilk is ready. Your muffins may not turn out marvellous, but they will still be delicious!
- I highly recommend investing in an oven thermometer and a kitchen scale. Baking at accurate temperatures and weighing your ingredients correctly ensure that you can replicate the recipes perfectly and enjoy the best flavors.
Happy Baking!
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Cherry Devil’s Food Cake
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 6-inch two layer cake 1x
Description
This cherry devil’s food cake is a two layer chocolate cake filled with homemade cherry jam in between and frosted with cherry buttercream along with a smooth, silky & decadent chocolate ganache. This cake will scream summer to you in every single bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Chocolate cake
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour, sifted
- ¼ cup (25g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- 2 tablespoons (12g) black cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (55g) light or dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup (60ml) vegetable or canola oil
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
- ½ cup (120ml) boiling hot water
Cherry Jam
- 1 cup (240g) fresh cherries, plus more for topping
- 1½ cup (165g) granulated sugar
- 1¼ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Chocolate Ganache
- ½ cup (120g) dark couverture chocolate, chopped
- ½ cup (120ml) fresh heavy cream, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) vegetable or canola oil
Cherry Buttercream
- 2½ cups (565g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 5 cups (625g) powdered or confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons cherry jam
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease two 6 inch cake pans, line them with parchment paper, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pan. I usually grease it with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Sift the flour and cocoa powder together into a large bowl. To that add baking powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt. Whisk all of them together.
- In another bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and oil for 2 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla extract. Beat until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients about 4-5 tablespoons at a time and whisk until combined. Repeat until all dry ingredients are added. The batter will be thick. Don’t overmix, it’s okay if a few streaks of flour remain.
- To this, first pour in the buttermilk and mix until combined. Lastly, add boiling hot water and whisk until thoroughly combined.
- Divide the cake batter evenly and pour into prepared cake pans.
- Bake for around 27-30 minutes or until a toothpick into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Allow cake to cool in the cake pan completely on a wire rack before frosting.
Cherry Jam
- While the cupcakes are baking, pit your cherries using a cherry pitter. If you don’t have one, then read a hack in the FAQ section.
- Add pitted cherries, sugar & lemon juice to a heavy bottomed saucepan on medium heat. Stir using a spatula until all the sugar has completely dissolved.
- The cherries will eventually become soft. Use your spatula to break them into small pieces.
- Allow the mixture to come to a boil & let it boil for around 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool a bit.
- Transfer to a mason jar & store cherry jam at room temperature for 3 months.
Chocolate Ganache
- While the cake is baking, prepare the chocolate ganache.
- In a large microwaveable bowl, add the roughly chopped chocolate.
- Microwave the mixture in 30 second intervals whisking vigorously in between. Repeat until the chocolate is completely melted. You can also use a double boiler or follow the ‘bain-marie’ method for doing this.
- To this, pour in the fresh cream. Make sure it is at room temperature. Mix vigorously until you get a smooth and shiny ganache.
- Lastly add in oil to bring it to the desired consistency before frosting.
Cherry Buttercream
- In a large bowl, add the softened butter & powdered sugar. Using a hand mixer, or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream together the butter & sugar until light & airy.
- Add in the fresh cream & vanilla. Beat again until combined.
- Lastly add in 2 tablespoons of cherry jam and mix. Add more until the desired colour is achieved.
- Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with tip of your choice. I used a Wilton 1M for the swirl pattern shown on top of the cake here.
Assembly
- In order to evenly frost your cake, use a cookie scoop to add the prepared buttercream on top. Start by adding around 1 large scoop or ½ cup of frosting on top of the first layer.
- Using an offset spatula, spread the frosting evenly on top of the cake. Pipe a wall of buttercream along the edge of the bottom layer. In between add the cherry jam. Top with the next layer.
- Scoop the frosting on the top layer and spread evenly using an offset spatula.
- Add around another or ½ cup of frosting around the cake using an offset spatula. This will be the crumb coat of the cake. Make sure not to put too much pressure and remove crumbs from the cake.
- Refrigerate for around 30 minutes t0 allow the crumb coat to set on your cake.
- Add around another ½ to 1 cup of frosting around the cake using an offset spatula to form a thick layer along the edges of the cake. You can use a cake smoother to smooth out the walls of the cake.
- Smooth the top and edges using an offset spatula to form sharp corners. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for another 20 minutes.
- Lastly, drizzle chocolate ganache along the sharp edges of the cake and on top of the cake. Pipe swirls of cherry buttercream on top & decorate with cherries if desired.
- Store cake in the refrigerator in an airtight container for upto 5 days.
Notes
- Make sure you are only using vegetable or canola oil. Do not use olive oil as it adds a strong flavor of it’s own which does not go very well with this chocolate cake.
- If you’re in a pinch and don’t have buttermilk in hand, I have a DIY substitute for this as well. Add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice in half cup. You can double or half this as required. Fill that cup with whole milk to the top. Mix and let it sit for 5 minutes. That’s it, your buttermilk is ready. Your muffins may not turn out marvellous, but they will still be delicious!
- I highly recommend investing in an oven thermometer and a kitchen scale. Baking at accurate temperatures and weighing your ingredients correctly ensure that you can replicate the recipes perfectly and enjoy the best flavors.
- Prep Time: 1.5 hours
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Summer Recipes, Layer Cake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: chocolate cherry layer cake, homemade cherry jam, devil’s food cherry layer cake
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