In our house, this decadent, perfectly flavored chocolate cherry coffee cake is nicknamed ‘The Bundt.’
How clever, right? Ha! There’s obviously a story behind this.
One fall during deer hunting season up here in the great north woods of Minnesota, I decided to bake a nice, fresh coffee cake for all of the hunters at deer camp to enjoy with their morning coffee. I had found some semblance of a recipe online (this was c. 2006, almost before recipes were so commonly found online) and thought I’d try it out. Of course, I say this in almost every recipe I post here, I don’t ever follow recipes, they’re only inspiration!
I liked the idea of chocolate chips, cinnamon and cherries or cranberries combined with delicious coffee cake batter for flavor components, hence the name Chocolate Cherry Coffee Cake. I also liked that this would make enough batter to fill a large Bundt or coffee cake pan (and thus feed many hungry hunters…), so I thought I’d make a few tweaks and give it a whirl. Little did I know that this coffee cake would turn out unbelievably well! It’s SO moist (yes sorry, I used that awful word, but I don’t have an alternative…). It holds its shape and structure for days (if it lasts that long) and can be made ahead and frozen, then thawed when needed. All of these components qualify as a recipe that will stand the test of time in my kitchen!
The very hungry hunters gobbled it up in the first day. (Gasp!) First day, friends.
They enjoyed slices with coffee in the morning, as a sweet treat after lunch & as a dessert after dinner. It’s one of those recipes that has become standard in our house. It has endless variations for add-ins! You could add white chocolate chips + cranberries, white chocolate chips + dried mango (chopped, of course), raisins, golden raisins, other dried fruits, butterscotch chips and no fruit…the possibilities are endless!
Make this for your next brunch, get together, dessert or anywhere you’re asking to bring a ‘something sweet!’ It’s best served with a mug of strong, freshly brewed coffee!
And, after you WOW your guests with “The Bundt,” try out my recipe for Cherry White Chocolate scones…they are the best scones you’ll ever try! Cheers!
Until next time…Eat Well. Travel Often. Love Much.
XOXO
Chocolate Cherry Coffee Cake
The delicious coffee cake has become the most requested sweet treat at my in-laws house! It turns out perfectly moist every time with an endless variation of add-ins-make it for your next gathering & it'll be requested every single time~Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups mini semisweet chocolate chips (I prefer Ghirardelli)
- 1 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 2/3 cup sugar
- 3/4 salted butter, room temperature
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 2 tsp. real vanilla extract OR vanilla paste
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 16 oz. light sour cream
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 3/4 cup dried cherries or dried cranberries
- confectioners sugar (for garnish-optional)
- Ganache (optional):
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 2-3 T. heavy cream
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 325 F degrees. Grease & flour a 10-inch Bundt pan OR coffee cake pan (I use a Bundt pan). In a small bowl, combine the chocolate chips, cocoa, cinnamon and 1/3 cup sugar and set aside.
- Step 2 In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat 1 1/3 cups sugar and the butter until well blended, pale and fluffy. Increase the speed to medium and beat 2 more minutes, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl and bottom to ensure proper blending.
- Step 3 Reduce the speed to low and add flour, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, salt, sour cream and eggs. Beat well until all ingredients are fully incorporated. Increase the speed of your mixer to medium and beat 2 more minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
- Step 4 Hand-stir in the dried cherries or cranberries, whichever mix-in you are using.
- Step 5 Spread 1/3 of the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with half of the mini chocolate chip/sugar mixture, spreading it evenly on top of the batter. Top with half of the remaining batter. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chip/sugar mixture and spread evenly. Pour in the remaining batter and tap down gently to ensure the batter is spread across the Bundt pan evenly.
- Step 6 Bake the coffee cake 60-70 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Step 7 While the cake is baking, make the ganache. In a small saucepan, combine the semisweet chocolate chips and the heavy cream. Stir it slowly until the mixture has melted and has become a uniform fluid chocolate consistency. Once melted, take the saucepan off the heat and let cool slightly. You’ll pour this mixture over the cake once the cake has cooled on the wire rack.
- Step 8 When cake is done baking, cool it in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes until cool enough to handle. Invert the cake onto a rack, cake stand or serving platter to cool completely before garnishing with the ganache or confectioners sugar. If using the ganache, slowly pour the chocolate mixture over the Bundt cake, letting it drip down the sides.
- Step 9 Eat a large piece with coffee & enjoy!
