This Chocolate Cake with Tart Cherries is a real treat for the holidays and not only. Valentine's Day, birthday parties, and Christmas are great opportunities to impress your family and friends with this delicious recipe. If you like to bake from scratch, you will enjoy making this cake.
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If you love your desserts unapologetically rich and just a little bit tart, this cake might become your new favorite. The recipe is part of my Cakes and Entremets Category, where you can find a multitude of cakes made in different ways, like this Wacky Cake (Chocolate Depression Cake) , a delicious, economical cake that comes from the old times, this Chocolate Biscuit Cake (No Bake Recipe), that is a classic European dessert, usually shaped as a salami, or this Chocolate Mousse Cake Recipe, perfect for times when you want to really impress someone.
This chocolate cherry cake isn’t just a recipe I pulled out of a hat. I learned how to make it in pastry school years ago, and it has stuck with me ever since. It’s a classic from Eastern Europe, the kind of dessert you bring out when you want something nostalgic, a little elegant, and completely satisfying.
Back then, we didn’t have time for fluff. We learned how to work fast, get our mise en place in order, and build flavor with just a handful of ingredients. This cake reflects that approach. It looks impressive, but it’s simple if you follow the process.
From Pastry School to My Kitchen
This recipe was one of the first we made in the confectionery module at pastry school. And let me tell you, when you’re elbow-deep in flour and temperamental chocolate all day, you learn pretty quickly which recipes are worth keeping. This one stayed with me.
It uses pantry ingredients, comes together in stages, and gives you the satisfaction of building something with layers. But what really sets it apart is the use of tart cherries in syrup. Not pie filling. Not sweet maraschinos. Real sour cherries, the kind you find in Eastern European pantries or tucked in the specialty section of a German supermarket.
They're tangy, bright, and cut right through the richness of the chocolate. If you’ve never had them, this cake is a good place to start.
What Makes This Cake Special
- Pudding-based buttercream – Not your typical American frosting. It starts with a cooked cornstarch pudding that gets folded into whipped butter and chocolate. The result is silky, not overly sweet.
- Simple sponge – The base is a light, cocoa-scented sponge that holds its own against the heavy topping.
- Sour cherries in syrup – Adds brightness and keeps the cake moist.
- Glossy chocolate glaze – No fussy piping, just pour and chill.
This is the kind of cake that looks fancy on a platter but feels like comfort food when you slice into it.
Tips If You’re New to Tart Cherries
If you’re in the U.S., look for sour cherries in light syrup (not cherry pie filling). You might find them under the names:
- Morello cherries
- Amarena (though these are often sweetened)
- German or Polish brands in jars
They’re worth keeping on hand. Once opened, spoon them over pancakes, ice cream, or mix into yogurt.d. Once opened, spoon them over pancakes, ice cream, or mix into yogurt.
When to Make This Cake
This chocolate cherry cake is perfect for:
- Valentine's Day (bittersweet chocolate + tart cherries = yes please)
- Christmas or Easter
- Birthdays
- Sunday dinner when you want leftovers to look like a reward
But because the ingredients are shelf-stable and available year-round, there’s no need to wait for a holiday. Make it because it's Tuesday.e walls of the pan and had a beautiful, straight cake that looked neat.
How to Assemble It
The easiest way to build this cake is in the same pan you baked the sponge. I like using a springform pan, so that once everything is set, you can simply release the sides and have a clean, straight-edged cake without needing to trim anything.
- First, bake and cool the sponge layer.
- Then, pour the chocolate-cherry buttercream directly over it.
- Let it chill in the refrigerator until it firms up.
- Once the buttercream is set, pour the glossy chocolate glaze over the top.
- For decoration, pipe a few small buttercream rosettes and top each with a sour cherry. Simple, elegant, and just enough to hint at what’s inside.
NOTE: If you want to make individual little cakes, bake the sponge in a 9x9-inch pan. Cut out shapes with a cookie cutter or ring mold, and assemble each cake in its own mold for a dessert that feels straight out of a patisserie window.
I don’t post a cake recipe unless I believe it earns its place. This one does. It’s nostalgic without being old-fashioned. It’s rich without being heavy. And it gives you that moment when someone takes a bite and says, "Wait, what is in this?"
If you make it, use real sour cherries in syrup. Use good dark chocolate. And give yourself the satisfaction of making something beautiful the old-school way—by hand, from scratch, no shortcuts.
You can find the full recipe card below. Enjoy.
More Recipes To Love
- Delicious Savory Recipes With Fresh Cherries
- Best Sour Cherry Pie
- Sour Cherry Pie
- Best Thanksgiving Pies And Tarts
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Cake With Tart Cherries
Equipment
Ingredients
Cake Batter:
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons cacao powder
- 3 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 ½ tablespoons luke warm water
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Chocolate Buttercream with Sour Cherries filling:
- 14 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 5 ounces dark chocolate
- 7 ounces sour pitted cherries
- 1 ¼ cup milk or 10 ounces
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons cacao powder
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Chocolate Glaze:
- 7 ounces dark chocolate
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Separate eggs.
- In a small bowl mix egg yolks, sugar, water, oil, and cacao powder. Set aside.
- In a different bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
- In a standing mixer, beat the egg white until stiff.
- Add the egg yolks mixture and mix slowly with a spatula until incorporated.
- Add flour, mixing slowly to not lose the air from the egg whites.
- Prepare a 10" springform with parchment paper on the bottom and pour the cake batter into it.
- Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes or until the cake passes the toothpick test.
- Let it cool.
Chocolate sour cherries buttercream:
- In a small pot, place cacao powder and cornstarch, then add milk and mix well to incorporate.
- Place the pot on the stove and cook the mixture, mixing constantly, until it gets thicker like a pudding.
- Allow it to cool and set aside.
- Beat the sugar and the butter with a mixer until fluffy.
- Add the pudding mixing well.
- Melt the chocolate in a double boiler and pour it over the cream.
- Add the chopped sour cherries.
- Mix well, then remove 2-3 tablespoons of buttercream that we will use for the decorations.
How to put the cake together:
- Keep the cake inside the springform and pour over the chocolate sour cherry buttercream.
- Spread it even with a spatula.
- Refrigerate until the buttercream is set, for few hours.
- When ready to glaze, melt the chocolate in a double boiler, then add the butter and mix well.
- Remove the springform and place the cake on a platter. Pour over the melted chocolate.
- Refrigerate until chocolate glaze is set.
- Pipe a few buttercream rosettes on top of the cake and place a sour cherry on top of each rosette.
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