Chocolate Cherry Cake

Ingredients

30 g dutch process cocoa powder (¼ c. + 1 tbsp.)
1 tsp. instant espresso
65 g whole milk (¼ c. + ½ tbsp.)
75 g vegetable oil (¼ c. + 2 tbsp.)
100 g granulated sugar (½ c.)
1 egg room temperature
90 g sour cream (¼ c. + 2 tbsp.) room temperature
80 g all purpose flour (⅔ c.)
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
80 g fresh cherries pitted, sliced in half (½ c.)

Chocolate Cherry Pudding

1 packet instant chocolate pudding (96g / 3.4 oz.)
335 g heavy whipping cream (1 ½ c.)
115 g whole milk (½ c.)
100 g fresh cherries pitted, sliced in half (½ c. + 2 tbsp.)

Whipped Cream

225 g heavy whipping cream (1 c.)
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste
⅛ tsp. salt
extra cherries for garnish

Instructions

Chocolate Cherry Cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Generously butter a 7" springform pan and coat it with sugar.
Add the cocoa powder and instant espresso (if using) to a medium sized mixing bowl.
Heat the milk in a large microwave safe bowl or liquid measuring cup until it's hot and starts to foam up (you'll want it to be larger bowl/cup to avoid the milk spilling over into your microwave)
Immediately pour the hot milk over the cocoa powder. Stir the mixture together until it's cohesive and there's no lumps.
Add in the vegetable oil, sugar, egg, and sour cream. Whisk vigorously until combined.
Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until only a few flour streaks remain, then fold in the cherries just until no streaks of flour remain.
Pour the chocolate cake batter into your prepared 7" cake pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes. To check for doneness: I recommend using a thermometer for the best results: when stuck into the middle of the cake the thermometer should read 205°F / 96°C. The cake is also done when the center no longer jiggles and the top becomes more firm.
Allow the cake to rest in the cake pan for at least 15 minutes before transferring it out to a cooling rack.

Chocolate Cherry Pudding

Add the instant chocolate pudding mix to a medium sized mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in the heavy cream and whole milk until it's all been used, then whisk for an additional 2 minutes.
Transfer the pudding to the fridge to chill until you're ready to assemble the cake.
Once the cake has completely cooled to room temperature, slice it in half horizontally to get two even pieces. If the cake seems a little over-baked/dry, brush some milk onto the inside part of both halves.
Place the bottom half of the cake into the pan. Spread ½ of the chocolate pudding mixture over the cake, then top it with a layer of cherries, followed by the remaining pudding mixture.
Place the top half of the cake on to the pudding - pushing down slightly to secure it. Cover the cake and place it in the fridge while you make the whipped cream.

Whipped Cream

Add the heavy cream, sugar, vanilla and salt to a medium sized mixing bowl (or to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.) Beat the mixture until soft peaks form.
Remove the cake from the fridge and from the pan. Top it with the whipped cream and extra cherries. Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Notes

Checking for doneness:

I wouldn't recommend using the toothpick test for this cake. While testing, I found that once the toothpick came out of the cake clean, the cake was over-done and dry after baking. Instead, I highly recommend checking the internal temperature of the cake with a thermometer (as noted in the recipe)

Nutrition