Chocolate Cherry Cake For Cheryl
My new manicurist loves making things gracious for her clients. She always has little extras, like a pretty flower at her station, or offerings of candy, or a sweet that another of her clients baked. She loves offering things to be gracious. She offered me a piece of cake her client Nancy made: Chocolate Cherry Cake, and it was so moist, not overly sweet, and just seemed perfect.
When I got home I started researching and found many recipes for the same thing, and what was amazing, was how easy with so few ingredients. I made one recently and took it in for others to have: play it forward in action. I'm taking Cheryl a pita chip she expressed interest in (Stacy's,) and printing out all of the dip recipes for her. What goes around, comes around. I did a little research on the cake and it was a 1974 Pillsbury contest winner:
When I got home I started researching and found many recipes for the same thing, and what was amazing, was how easy with so few ingredients. I made one recently and took it in for others to have: play it forward in action. I'm taking Cheryl a pita chip she expressed interest in (Stacy's,) and printing out all of the dip recipes for her. What goes around, comes around. I did a little research on the cake and it was a 1974 Pillsbury contest winner:
Chocolate Cherry Cake
Vegetable oil spray for misting
Vegetable oil spray for misting
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain devil's food cake mix,
1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly mist a 13x9" baking pan with vegetable oil spray. Set the pan aside.
2. Place the cake mix, cherry pie filling, eggs, and almond extract in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber sptatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look thick and well blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the rubber spatula. Place the pan in the oven.
3. Bake the cake until it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger and just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack while you prepare the glaze.
Chocolate Glaze
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup whole milk
1 package (6 ounces, or 1 cup) semisweet chocolate chips
Place the sugar, butter, and milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chocolate chips. When the chips have melted and the glaze is smooth, pour it over the warm cake so that it covers the entire surface. The glaze will be thin but will firm up. Cool the cake for 20 minutes more before cutting it into squares and serving.
* This cake is so "Honey, I'm home," family sitcom easy. I was surprised by the cherry pie filling, thinking it would cloyingly sweet, but it wasn't.
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly mist a 13x9" baking pan with vegetable oil spray. Set the pan aside.
2. Place the cake mix, cherry pie filling, eggs, and almond extract in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber sptatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look thick and well blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the rubber spatula. Place the pan in the oven.
3. Bake the cake until it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger and just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack while you prepare the glaze.
Chocolate Glaze
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup whole milk
1 package (6 ounces, or 1 cup) semisweet chocolate chips
Place the sugar, butter, and milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chocolate chips. When the chips have melted and the glaze is smooth, pour it over the warm cake so that it covers the entire surface. The glaze will be thin but will firm up. Cool the cake for 20 minutes more before cutting it into squares and serving.
* This cake is so "Honey, I'm home," family sitcom easy. I was surprised by the cherry pie filling, thinking it would cloyingly sweet, but it wasn't.
* I used a whisk and hand mixer, and it was mixed in minutes. The icing mixed down incredibly quickly too.
* Store this cake, covered in aluminum foil, at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Or freeze the cake, wrapped in foil, for up to 6 months. Thaw the cake overnight on the counter before serving. (Mine went into work and whoosh Gone in Sixty Seconds.)
I only listed it here to have a record of my handiwork. Back to my usual craziness.
Labels: chocolate cake, dcblogs, dessert, graciousness, The Washington Post
posted by Washington Cube at 9:35 PM
4 Comments:
That sounds really delicious! On another topic, I wish I'd known that you could find Port-A-Potties on Craig's List. There were a couple of years where such a thing would have really come in handy. Fortunately that is no longer the case!
I've sold that and a small television on Craig's. Zero luck in selling art or jewelery on there. It's good for electronics and used medical equipment I think.
Yum, yum! I may have to try out this recipe although I don't usually do much baking. I'm always worried about too many calories!
Lizzy: which is why it immediately left the house.
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