Fluffy Swiss meringue buttercream speckled with maraschino cherry chips surrounds three moist dark chocolate cake layers in this Chocolate Maraschino Cherry Cake. Be sure to note that this cake bakes at a low temperature, 300°F. You’ll need 3/4 cup of chopped maraschino cherries from about two 6 oz. jars of whole stemless cherries (the jar’s weight includes the liquid inside). You’ll also need 12 more whole cherries with stems for the top of the cake,, which is another 6 oz. jar of cherries (so stock up!).
3/4cupchopped maraschino cherriespatted dry on paper towels
12whole maraschino cherries with stemspatted dry
Instructions
Dark chocolate cake layers
Preheat oven to 300°F.
Coat three 9-inch round cake pans with the flour-based baking spray. Alternatively, grease and flour the pans.
Place the hot water in a large glass measure with a pour spout. Stir in the espresso powder. Add the chopped chocolate and let stand for 2 minutes. Whisk until the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
Sift together the flour, sugars, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment, beat the eggs on high speed until they are pale and thick, about 3 minutes. Add the oil, sour cream, vanilla extract, and the melted chocolate-espresso mixture. Add the flour mixture and mix on medium speed until combined.
Divide the batter between the three prepared pans (batter will be thin). Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the middles are slightly puffed and spring back when pressed in their centers. The layers won’t crown much so you shouldn’t have to level the cakes.
Let the cakes cool in the pans 5 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely. The cake layers can be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap.
Maraschino cherry chip Swiss meringue buttercream
Place a saucepan filled 1/3 full of water over medium heat. Bring to a simmer.
In a large stainless-steel bowl, combine the egg whites and sugar. Set the bowl over the simmering water and cook while whisking intermittently. Cook until the mixture is hot (110°F) and you can no longer feel sugar granules when the mixture is rubbed between your finger and thumb. Transfer the hot mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed for 10 minutes or until a thick, shiny meringue forms that holds stiff peaks. The bowl should feel cool to the touch. If it doesn’t, refrigerate the meringue in the bowl for 10 minutes. Return the bowl to the mixer and swap the whisk attachment for the paddle attachment.
Beat the room temperature butter into the meringue one cube at a time on medium-low speed, waiting to add the next cube when the previous cube disappears. The batter will deflate with the butter addition, and may even look curdled (if the butter was the slightest bit cold this happens), but this is normal. When all of the butter is added, beat the mixture on high speed until light in color and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the almond extract and salt.
Remove 1 cup of the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a jumbo closed star tip.
Remove 1/3 cup of the white buttercream to piping bag fitted with a small closed star tip.
Remove 2/3 cup of the white buttercream to a bowl and tint with a drop of the pink gel food color to create a pastel pink hue. Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a small closed star tip.
Remove 2/3 cup of the buttercream to a bowl and tint with the pastel green gel food color until a soft but saturated green color is achieved. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large closed star tip. Set the piping bags aside as you prepare the remaining frosting.
Return the bowl to the standing mixer fitted with the whip attachment and beat in 1/4 cup of the maraschino cherry juice. This will take a few minutes to incorporate, as the liquid will be a little resistant to the butter in the frosting. When the liquid is incorporated, add the second 1/4 cup and mix well. Fold in the cherry chips using a large rubber spatula.
Assembly
Place a chocolate cake layer on your choice of serving plate, cake board, or cake stand. Fill with a 1/4” thickness of the cherry chip buttercream; top with a second cake layer. Fill with another 1/4” layer of buttercream. Place the final cake layer on top and cover the entire cake with the cherry chip buttercream. Use an offset spatula to evenly smooth the frosting. Chill the cake until the buttercream is firm, about 15 minutes. The frosting color will intensify slightly as it chills.
When the buttercream is firm, use the green buttercream with the large closed star tip to pipe 12 ovals on the top edge of the cake. Top the green ovals with ovals of white buttercream using the white bag of buttercream fitted with the small closed star tip. Top the white buttercream with ovals of pink buttercream. Place a cherry with a stem in the center of each triple stacked oval.
Using the bag of white buttercream fitted with the jumbo closed star tip, pipe a shell border around the bottom edge of the cake. Just above the large white shell border, use the pink buttercream to pipe a smaller shell border.
Cake will keep at room temperature for 3 days, or store it in the refrigerator for longevity. It will keep about 6 days in the refrigerator if well covered. Bring slices to room temperature before serving for the best flavor.
Notes
What to expect:This is a supremely moist chocolate cake. The layers are tender and the flavor is dark, with hints of Oreo cookie due to the dark cocoa powder. The cherry chip frosting is silky and not too sweet. Almond extract boosts the maraschino cherry flavor in the frosting.3/4 cup of cherry chips is about 5 oz. total weight. You'll need two 6 oz. jars of stemless maraschino cherries for this because the jar's weight includes the liquid. I used an electric mini chopper to process the cherries into fine chips. You could do the same or use a large food processor, or simply chop them by hand. Be sure to drain the cherries well before you chop them into chips.