Description
This Chocolate Cherry Cake is a rich, moist dessert featuring ground almonds and cocoa powder, studded with juicy cherries and dark chocolate. It's topped with a shiny cherry jam glaze and best served warm with thick whipped cream. Perfect for chocolate and fruit lovers seeking a gluten-free treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Batter
- 225 g (1 cup minus 1 tbsp) unsalted butter room temperature, cut into chunks
- 200 g (1 cup) golden caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 4 medium eggs
- 200 g (1 2/3 cups) ground almonds (course almond meal)
- 50 g (1/2 cup) cocoa powder (gluten-free if required)
- 1 tsp baking powder (gluten-free if required)
- 100 g (3.5 oz) dark chocolate (70% cocoa), melted
- 50 g (1/3 cup) chocolate chips
- 300 g fresh or frozen black cherries, pitted
- 2 tbsp cherry jam
To Serve
- Thick whipped cream
Instructions
- Prepare the oven and tin: Preheat the oven to 170C/325F (fan). Lightly grease a 23cm diameter loose-bottomed flan tin and set aside.
- Whisk butter and sugar: Place the butter chunks and golden caster sugar in a large bowl. Use an electric whisk or stand mixer to whisk together until the mixture is fluffy and pale, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add extracts and eggs: Stir in the vanilla and almond extracts. Then add the eggs one by one, whisking well after each addition. The mixture may look split momentarily but will come back together.
- Incorporate dry ingredients: Fold in the ground almonds, cocoa powder, and baking powder carefully until fully combined.
- Add melted chocolate and chips: Fold in the melted dark chocolate and chocolate chips thoroughly into the batter.
- Fill the tin: Spoon the batter into the prepared flan tin and level the surface with the back of a spoon.
- Prepare cherries: Slice half of the cherries in half and leave the other half whole. Arrange the cherries over the cake batter, placing cut-sides up for the halved ones, and gently push them slightly into the mixture.
- Bake the cake: Place the tin in the oven and bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Glaze the cake: While the cake is warm, mix the cherry jam with 2 tablespoons of cold water. Brush this glaze evenly over the top of the cake.
- Cool the cake: Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 20 minutes, then remove it from the tin and place on a wire rack to cool further.
- Serve: Serve the cake slightly warm or at room temperature topped with thick whipped cream. Optionally swirl some cherry jam into the cream and garnish with fresh cherries.
Notes
- You can use fresh, frozen, or tinned cherries. If using frozen, you may use them still frozen or thawed—if thawed, drain excess liquid. For tinned cherries, drain the syrup before use.
- This cake can be made ahead and stored covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Reheat individual slices in the microwave for a few seconds to enjoy warm servings.
- The cake freezes well. Cool completely, cover, and freeze. Defrost overnight in the fridge and bring to room temperature before serving. Warm slices if desired.
- The nutritional information is calculated without the whipped cream serving suggestion.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/12th of cake)
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 19 g
- Sodium: 65 mg
- Fat: 23 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
