This cherry chocolate chip cake is moist, tender, and full of cherry and chocolate flavor in every single bite. Chopped cherries in the cake batter really make the cherry flavor pop, while mini chocolate chips add just the right amount of chocolatey goodness, and cherry juice gives everything a beautiful pink hue.
This cherry chocolate chip cake is an old recipe that I decided to update with even more cherry flavor. The chopped cherries really add so much, plus the cake itself is different. It’s now more closely based on my moist vanilla cake, with changes that help keep the chocolate chips and chopped cherries afloat. It was good before but those few changes make it even better now.
There are cherries and chocolate chips in literally every bite of this cake, without there being too much of one or the other. When it comes to the cherries, you need maraschino cherries. And not just any maraschino cherries, but the bright red classic ones. The ones they put in drinks at restaurants. With the corn syrup and all. I tested this recipe with a few brands to be sure it would work with them all and it did. However, the more natural maraschino cherries didn’t give the cake nearly as much flavor. So, if you want to be sure you taste the cherry, stick with the bright red, unnatural ones. Ha!
Why This Cherry Chocolate Chip Cake Is So Good
- Lots of cherry flavor. There’s chopped maraschino cherries and cherry juice in the cake, plus cherry extract in the frosting. My favorite part is biting into the chopped cherries in the cake!
- Chocolate in every bite. I opted for mini chocolate chips because they disperse more evenly in the batter and I liked the balance achieved with them vs larger chocolate chips and the cherries. They also make an easy decoration on the outside!
- Light, tender cake layers. I really wanted a cake that was not only flavorful but also tender and moist. By starting with my moist vanilla cake and making just a few changes, I was able to create a crumb that stays moist for several days and is still light and tender.
- The cherry buttercream. It’s made with maraschino cherry juice and cherry extract to really give it the best flavor. The cherry juice gives it such a beautiful and perfect shade of pink, without having to use any gel icing color.
Ingredient Notes
Let’s take a look at everything needed to make this recipe, including the cake layers and the frosting. The exact measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- All-purpose flour – I highly recommend using a food scale to weigh the flour as too much can easily make this cake too dry and dense. If you don’t have one, the spoon and level technique from my post on how to properly measure flour will also work.
- Salt – Brings out the flavors already present in the cake.
- Unsalted butter – I always use unsalted butter when baking to avoid too much added salt. It should be at room temperature.
- Sugar – Adds both sweetness and moisture, contributing to the flavor and texture of the cake.
- Sour cream – Adds moisture to the cake and is thicker than milk, so it helps the cherries and chocolate chips stay afloat.
- Cherry juice – While maraschino cherry juice doesn’t add a ton of cherry flavor, I still used it in both the cake batter and the frosting to add a lovely pink color.
- Maraschino cherries – Any maraschino cherries will work but the bright red ones that they use in drinks add the most flavor. The natural brands don’t add nearly as much cherry flavor.
- Chocolate chips – I use mini chocolate chips because they distribute more easily than regular ones, so you get just the right amount of chocolate in every bite.
- Cherry extract – Cherry juice alone didn’t give the buttercream as much flavor as I’d hoped, so I ended up adding cherry extract. It’s quite strong, so you don’t need a lot. You could leave it out, but your buttercream will lack a little flavor.
How To Make Cherry Chocolate Chip Cake
This layer cake is very easy to make, with no special tools or skills required. Just remember to allow plenty of time for the cake layers to cool before frosting and assembling.
Make the cakes
Prepare three 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper circles in the bottom and grease the sides. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C). Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
Beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, until light in color and fluffy.
Mix in the sour cream.
Add the eggs one at a time. Scrape down the sides as needed.
Mix in half of the dry ingredients, then mix in the cherry juice. Add the remaining dry ingredients.
Stir in the mini chocolate chips and diced cherries.
Divide the batter into three cake pans. Bake for 22-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
Let the cakes cool for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks. Cool completely before decorating.
Make the buttercream & assemble
Use a large serrated knife to remove any domes from the cooled cakes.
Beat the butter until creamy. Add half of the powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons of cherry juice, and cherry extract. Slowly add the remaining powdered sugar. Add salt to taste, then beat for 2-3 minutes to whip it.
Layer the cake, then frost the outside. Refer to my tutorial for frosting a smooth cake, if needed. Press additional mini chocolate chips into the bottom of the cake, around the sides.
Pipe swirls of frosting around the top (I use Ateco tip 844) and finish it off with cherries.
Tips for the Best Layer Cake
- Don’t skimp on creaming time. There should be a visible difference in the color and texture of the butter and sugar when fully creamed. The color should be lighter and it should appear fluffy. It usually takes 2-3 minutes to achieve this.
- Do not overmix the batter. Once the dry and wet ingredients are combined, mix just until smooth and combined. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl, too. Overmixing can cause the glutens in the flour to overdevelop and result in a dense cake.
- Avoid overbaking. These cake layers bake fairly quickly, in 22 minutes or so. Every oven is different so I recommend checking at 20 minutes. A toothpick should have a few moist crumbs but no wet batter.
- Adjust the buttercream consistency. The cherry juice replaces the usual heavy cream in the frosting to thin it out. I usually stop a few times and check the frosting to see if the consistency is right. Just be sure to avoid adding too much cherry juice, which can thin it out. See my post on how to get the right frosting consistency for tips.
- Decorate immediately after frosting. Be sure to add the chocolate chips around the base of the cake immediately after frosting the outside. If the buttercream has a chance to crust, the chocolate chips won’t stick as well.
- Dry off cherries. I like to let the cherries for the top of the cake sit on a paper towel for a few minutes before I add them to the top of the cake. It lets the cherry juices soak into the towel, instead of dripping out onto the cake.
Proper Storage
- Room temperature: Cherry chocolate chip cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days. Keep it in a cake carrier or another airtight container.
- Fridge: For longer storage, keep the cake in the fridge for 3-4 days. Keep in mind it’s best enjoyed at room temperature, so pull it from the fridge 30 minutes or so before serving.
Cherry Chocolate Chip Cake
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Ingredients
Cake Layers
- 2 ½ cups plus 2 tablespoons (341g) all-purpose flour
- 2 ¾ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (168g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1 ½ cups (310g) sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (173g) sour cream
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup (120ml) maraschino cherry juice
- ¾ cup (127g) mini chocolate chips
- 1 ½ cups (252g) chopped maraschino cherries*
Cherry Buttercream
- 1 cup (448g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 8 cups (920g) powdered sugar
- 4-5 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
- ½-1 teaspoons cherry extract
- Salt (to taste)
- ½ cup (85g) mini chocolate chips
Instructions
Make the cakes
- Prepare three 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper circles in the bottom and grease the sides. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
- Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
- Add the butter, sugar and vanilla extract to a large mixer bowl and beat together on medium speed until light in color and fluffy, about2-3 minutes. Do not skimp on the creaming time.
- Add the sour cream and mix until well combined.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until mostly combined after each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until mostly combined. Slowly add the cherry juice and mix until well combined. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until well combined and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Do not over mix the batter.
- Stir in the mini chocolate chips and diced cherries. The batter is fairly thick.
- Divide the batter evenly between the cakes pans and bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool for about 2-3 minutes, then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.
Make the buttercream
- Add the butter to a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth and creamy.
- Add about half of the powdered sugar and beat until well combined and smooth.
- Add 3 tablespoons of the cherry juice and ½ teaspoon of the cherry extract. Mix until well combined.
- Slowly add the remainder of the powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth.
- Add salt to taste and continue adding cherry juice until you have the right flavor and consistency of buttercream.
- Beat the buttercream on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes to whip the buttercream. You don’t have to do this step, but it lightens up the buttercream nicely. Set aside.
Build the cake
- Use a large serrated knife to remove the domes from the top of the cakes so that they’re flat, if needed. Place the first cake on a serving plate or a cardboard cake round. Spread about 1 cup of frosting evenly on top of the cake.
- Add the second layer of cake and another cup of frosting, then add the final layer on top.
- Frost the outside of the cake. Refer to my tutorial for frosting a smooth cake, if needed. Press additional mini chocolate chips into the bottom of the cake, around the sides. You’ll want to do this step right after frosting it, so the buttercream doesn’t crust, otherwise, they won’t stick well.
- Finish decorating the cake with some buttercream swirls (I used Ateco tip 844) and cherries on top(I like to dry the cherries with a paper towel first). Store in an air-tight container or well-covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, then store in the fridge. Best when served at room temperature. Best if eaten within 3-4 days.
Notes
- Maraschino cherries – When it comes to the cherries, you need maraschino cherries. And not just any maraschino cherries, but the bright red classic ones. The ones they put in drinks at restaurants. With the corn syrup and all. I tested this recipe is a few brands to be sure it would work with them all and it did. However, the more natural maraschino cherries didn’t give the cake nearly as much flavor. So, if you want to be sure you taste the cherry, stick with the bright red, unnatural ones.
- Cherry extract – Cherry juice and pureed cherries didn’t give the buttercream as much flavor as I’d hoped, so I ended up using cherry extract. It’s quite strong, so you don’t need a lot. I’d start with ½ teaspoon and only add more if you’d like the flavor a little stronger.
- Cherry juice – I did include cherry juice in the buttercream even though it doesn’t add much flavor because it gives the buttercream such a beautiful and perfect shade of pink. If you want to leave it out, you’ll just need to use gel icing color.
- Salt – I sometimes add a touch of salt to my buttercream. It cuts down the sweetness just a bit and brings out the flavor. I start with a pinch or so and go from there. You just don’t want it to become noticeably salty.
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
Gorgeous cake, thank you for sharing! Do you think strawberry juice could be substituted for the cherry juice to make a strawberry cake instead?
What a beautiful layer cake! It looks like it stepped out of a fancy bakery! The pretty pink colour is brilliant too. Bummer about your virtual baby shower but that is really really lovely of you to tried so hard to celebrate with your friend!
What a gorgeous cake. It literally makes my stomach growl when I look at it! 🙂 Pinned!