EASY 4-Ingredient Chocolate Cherry Cake
Make an easy 4-Ingredient Chocolate Cherry Cake recipe, moist and tasty. The perfect weekend dessert served with Vanilla Ice Cream! Watch the video!
This 4-Ingredient Chocolate Cherry Cake recipe is a great any-time of year cake to make. It’s perfect for any occasion, with easy ingredients to keep in your pantry, and everyone loves it. We call this our 30-minute cake, because it’s out of the oven in 30 minutes, and ready to frost (or not) and serve!
If you love chocolate, you’ve also got to try my Toffee Chocolate Bundt Cake!
4-Ingredient Chocolate Cherry Cake
Friends, I’ve had this recipe for years. It was my sister’s go-to chocolate cake recipe over 40 years ago. This recipe anyone can make, especially when you’re in a pinch with impromptu guests coming in 30 minutes. Or maybe you’ve forgotten you committed to bringing dessert to a party (do you do that, too?). Let’s get started: All you need are these ingredients to bake this cake.
Ingredients for 4-Ingredient Chocolate Cherry Cake
- Devils Food Cake Mix
- Can cherry pie filling
- Eggs
- Almond extract
You can buy the frosting for a quick spread while the cake is cooled, or make your own.
Frosting ingredients:
- Powdered sugar
- Butter
- Milk
- Semisweet chocolate chips
- Vanilla
- Cocoa
Here are the reasons why we love this cake!
- Anyone can make it. Even a small child!
- Easily stocked ingredients in the pantry.
- Everyone loves it. Everyone!
- You won’t go home with leftovers (if you bring to a party).
- You won’t be tempted with leftovers (if the party is at your house). HA.
- Any kind of ice cream pairs well with this. We love vanilla!
- If you don’t want to make a frosting, serve it with ice cream OR … a warm fudge topping!
How do I make a chocolate cake moist?
All you need on hand is a chocolate cake mix, a can of pie cherries, eggs, and the secret ingredient … almond extract.
What makes the cake so moist is the can of pie cherries!
Tips and Variations:
- It’s the ultimate QUICK and tasty, moist chocolate birthday cake – ever! My sister’s touch is to add almond extract! (Good job, sis!)
- Optional to leave out the almond extract if you want only a chocolate and vanilla flavor.
- Be sure to check every cherry for pits. Once in awhile a pit is left in one or two of the cherries, and you don’t want your guests to break a tooth.
- Change up the cake mix for a variation of chocolate cake mixes, or even try a white or yellow cake mix. But then again, it wouldn’t be called “chocolate cherry” cake. LOL
- Don’t overbake the cake. You want it to be perfectly moist.
- Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. You can also spread a jar of Trader Joe’s fudge on top, for a quick frosting.
- The cake is amazing served warm.
- Add more cherries on top when you serve each piece.
How to make a simple frosting?
Wanna make the frosting?
- Mix together powdered sugar, soft butter, milk, semisweet chocolate chips. Cook over stovetop at medium heat and then add vanilla and cocoa.
- Spread over the warm cake immediately.
It’s also great to serve for any special occasion? Like Game Day or Valentine’s Day or Christmas — or family night or a potluck?
I am a huge fan of my Le Creuset pan and KitchenAid mixer (or hand-mixer) for baking cakes!
More easy chocolate desserts to try:
Irish Black and White Bread Pudding (yes, chocolate and white chocolate)
Cherry Berry Dump Cake [Crazy for Crust]
Get the Recipe:
4-Ingredient Chocolate Cherry Cake
Ingredients
Equipment
- 9x13 baking dish (I like to use a ceramic baking dish)
- Stand mixer (I love my KitchenAid stand mixer)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a bowl and beat for 1-2 minutes. If you want chunkier cherries, mix by hand.
- Pour batter into 9×13 sprayed pan.
- Bake at 350F for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
- Frost with your favorite frosting, whipped cream, or serve with your favorite ice cream!
Notes
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
I’ve made this with a brownie mix so moist and ?
Love this cake but think I had a simpler icing.
Can I make this recipe in muffin tins? Individual servings on a plate. A little concerned it won’t hold together? What do you think? Thank you!
That’s a great question. I have never tried it, but why not? Of course don’t bake as long … :)
Works great as muffins… I made a quick cream cheese frosting with a spoonful of the cherry pie filling mixed in(that I took out of the can before adding the rest of the can to the cake) … And it was almost like a little black forest cupcake… It made 18 cupcakes and took about 14 minutes to bake…
Found this when I was looking for an old recipe a friend gave me yrs ago. These are the same ingredients–sorry “sis,” the almond extract is part of the old recipe and not unique to this cake. :) It makes a great dump cake, I tried one w pecans which really added to the yumminess. Thanks!
Meant to say, it ALSO makes a great dump cake, (as a variety to this one).
This also works with spice cake and apple pie filling. Can add xtra pinch of cinnamon and pecans. Powdered sugar glaze or a cream cheese style icing
ANY suggestions for a gluten free cake mix that will still make this cake taste great!
Hi Dolores, I have not made this cake gluten-free. Sorry!
Christmas canxy canes with almond bark…..recipe.
Can you add sliced almonds i wonder?
For sure! I bet that would be amazing!
OMG! I’m ready to die for this cake! Chocolate and cherry are my favorite combination. Only 4 ingredients. Easy to cook, hi extra kilo)
does it have to be devils food cake or do you know if you can use any box chocolate cake mix ?
Any chocolate cake!
I make this frequently, always amazing! Although I’ve always been advised to use however many eggs the cake mix calls for on the box, and I top with Cool Whip!
Do you add in eggs and oil per the Dveils food cake mix? Or just those 4 ingredients?
Thanks!
Just those 4 ingredients!
Do you think I could freeze this iced for Christmas? I know it’s super easy, but defrosting it and having it ready to go would be amazing!
I would also be willing to hear any suggestion on make-ahead, freezable desserts for the holiday. :)
Amy, I would freeze the cake (no frosting). After defrosting, frost right before serving! Great idea!
Can this be made in a bundt pan?
I’m sure it can, but you’ll have to adjust the baking time! ENJOY!
On the frosting recipe is that regular sugar or confectioner sugar?
Powdered sugar, Sheri. :)
So easy! You are required to love cakes this easy.
Sandy,
This looks wonderful. Is it in a 9×12 pan?
gotta love a recipe that is so easy to throw together and yet is a winner every time! Looks delicious!
Recipes like this are always good to have! Love the combo of cherries and chocolate!
WINNER WINNER CAKE DINNER! Seriously, feed me. I can’t get enough chocolate these days!
That’s a cute picture with your dad! Bet he loved this!
Sandy you are just the sweetest person! Reading your posts always makes me smile. Love this cake so much.
I think I could assign even my husband to make this! Great recipe to have in a pinch (and I love chocolate and cherry together too.)
Wow! This cake looks phenomenally good, Sandy! And, I bet homemade tart cherry pie filling would do just fine, too. ;) I just adore cherries and chocolate together and this cake recipe is perfect with Valentine’s Day around the corner. Have you ever tried baking cupcakes with this recipe? I think they would be stinkin’ cute piped with a heart and the word “love” inside it. Thanks for sharing, m’lady! xo P.S. Your Dad is so cute!
Putting the ingredients on my shopping list right now. Looks so good.
Darla