- 90 mins
- 115 mins
Ingredients
- Homemade Cherry Filling:
- 1 quart sweet cherries, pitted
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 cup water
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 About 1/2 cup sugar, add this to taste
- Pinch of salt
- Small dash of almond extract
- Chocolate Cake Layers:
- 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 1 3/4 cups packed light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/3 cups buttermilk, room temperature
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- Chocolate Frosting:
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup icing sugar
- 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup hot water
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 10 ounces (290 g) milk chocolate, chopped, melted and cooled slightly
- 5 ounces (150 g) dark chocolate, chopped, melted and cooled slightly
Preparation
Step 1
For the Homemade Cherry Filling
Start by pitting the cherries if needed, and I recommend at least cutting them in half (It helps when slicing the cake later.)
Add water, lemon juice, and cornstarch to a small pot. Slowly bring to a boil whisking constantly.
Pour in cherries, lower heat to medium low, keep stirring until cherries are coated and mixture has cooled slightly.
Let the cherries cook for 8-10 minutes or until they are releasing juice and slightly soft. Stir in sugar to taste, then add salt and almond extract.
Let cool, and store at room temperature until needed.
For the Cake Layers
Start by spraying and lining the bottoms of three 8-inch cake pans. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a stand mixer beat the butter, brown sugar and vanilla on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Lower the speed and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing fully between additions.
In a medium bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
Add dry ingredients and wet, starting with dry and alternating. Mix until just combined, then fold mayonnaise into batter, until just blended. In a small dish, combine the vinegar and baking soda (it will foam) and quickly add to batter, mixing until just combined.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes, then let sit in pans for 20 minutes before flipping out. The layers will be very delicate at this point so don't flip or touch for another hour!
For the Frosting
Melt chocolate together in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between.
In a bowl of stand mixer beat the butter on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 6 minutes. Reduce to speed to low, and add the icing sugar, cocoa powder, water, sour cream, vanilla, and salt and beat until incorporated, about 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 more minutes.
Add the melted chocolate and beat on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute.
Use promptly, the frosting will need to be re-whipped if it sits for too long.
To Assemble the Cake
Start by piping a boarder around the edges of the three cake rounds, let this cool in the fridge until very set. Add the cherry filling in the middles. This barricade keeps the filing from leaking out!
Stack layers, and then apply a crumb coat, refrigerate for about 15 minutes, or until set.
Finish icing the cake as desired, and enjoy!