Cherry Chocolate Cake
This decadent chocolate cherry cake is made healthier with whole wheat flour and fresh cherries. It's vegan, too, but you don't have to tell!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on October 22, 2024
On July 4th, I took a few bites of a scrumptious cherry chocolate cake made by one of my favorite relatives. I asked for the recipe, and my heart sunk a little when I found out that her secret ingredients were a box of devil’s food cake mix and canned cherry pie filling.
A month and a half later, I bought a massive bag of dark red cherries, made an amazing cherry arugula salad, and wanted to make a dessert with the rest. Memories of my cousin’s cherry chocolate cake came back to me, and I wondered if I could make a healthier version. I was buttered out after eating an entire peach galette, so I searched around for a vegan chocolate cake recipe.
The first page of Google results contained several references to Moosewood Restaurant’s recipe, with lots of raving reviews. The recipe has a lot going for it: it’s vegan, easy to make, and doesn’t require any unusual ingredients. I was sold.
I swapped whole wheat pastry flour for the all-purpose flour, added a bit of almond extract in place of some of the vanilla extract and mixed in over a pound of cherries. Pouring in the apple cider vinegar felt like performing a chemistry experiment. The batter foams up! Once the cake cooled, I iced it with pure semi-sweet chocolate and sprinkled it with powdered sugar. I brought the cake to breakfast club and my friends loved it!
Vegan Cherry Chocolate Cake
This decadent chocolate cherry cake is made healthier with whole wheat flour and fresh cherries. It’s vegan, too, but you don’t have to tell!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 scant cup raw (turbinado) sugar
- ½ cup melted coconut oil or quality vegetable oil
- 1 cup coffee (I mixed one packet of Starbucks VIA instant coffee with cold filtered water, you could also just use 1 cup of cold water)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 ¼ pound dark cherries, pitted (roughly enough cherries to cover the bottom of your cake pan)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the bottom of your pan with parchment paper. I used a 9 inch non-stick springform pan, which made removing the cake a cinch.
- Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar directly into the cake pan.
- In a measuring cup, measure and mix together the oil, cold coffee (or cold water and Starbucks VIA), almond extract and vanilla extract.
- Pour the liquid ingredients into the baking pan and mix the batter with a fork or a small whisk until it is smooth.
- Add the vinegar and stir quickly. You will see pale swirls in the batter as the vinegar reacts with the baking soda. Stir just until the vinegar is evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Mix in your cherries with minimal stirring. I poked the cherries down into the batter with my finger. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool.
Notes
Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Chocolate Icing Ingredients:
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli 60% cacao dark chocolate chips but seek out dairy-free if you want the cake to be totally vegan)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons hot water
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Notes on the chocolate icing:
Moosewood’s glaze calls for 3/4 cup water, but I found that to be way too much. Instead of using a double boiler and diluting the chocolate with so much water, I microwaved the chocolate chips in twenty second intervals, stirring after each. I thinned the chocolate with just a little bit of very hot water, and mixed in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. It’s as easy as icing gets, and the dense chocolate flavor suits the cherry chocolate cake nicely. Top with a dusting of powdered sugar for a pretty effect.
WARNING: Don’t let your dog near this cake! I stepped outside for one hot minute and came back inside to find Cookie nose deep in chocolate cake. A very nice woman in poison control told me to feed Cookie a tablespoon and a half of hydrogen peroxide. Let’s just say that this cake didn’t look so appetizing the second time around. Fortunately, Cookie was just fine. Bad dog!
oh my the dog! but the cake looks so good! Hugh is a big breakfast sweets guy, and I think this would go over quite well. I have a tough time baking with no egg at all, as I always end up with a mess of crumbles, but I’ll consider it ;)
Please do consider it, Sara! I’ve made two of these cakes and neither was crumbly. My friends had no idea it was vegan. :)
A quick note on dogs eating chocolate. It is best to call your vet as soon as possible. The proper amount of hydrogen peroxide for your dog is determined by its weight and that is “if” your dog needs to cough up at all.
Too much hydrogen peroxide can do damage to their esophagus.
I’ve learned from experience.
This cake looks and sounds absolutely phenomenal!! I love chocolate and cherries together, and Moosewood recipes are always a great basis on which to put your own spin. I’m glad to hear/read that Cookie was alright after eating some of the cake – it’s good to know that hydrogen peroxide is a safe and effective remedy for canines who consume chocolate.
Hello from TX! I just found your blog a few weeks ago and have enjoyed reading your posts! This cake looks amazing and it has jumped to the top of my baking to do list :)
P.S. I feel your pain when it comes to the heat.
Hi Claudia, thanks so much for commenting! Please let me know how your cake turns out if you get around to baking it. I’m so ready for cooler weather, aren’t you?
Hi Kate! I did baked the cake yesterday for a BBQ and it was a hit! Thanks for a great recipe. Oh and yes, I am definitely ready for some cooler temps. Even the low 90s would be welcome :)
I have this in the oven now but just realized I forgot to add the apple cider vinegar! Just curious – what does the vinegar actually do to the batter?
Hi Vivien, how did it turn out? It helps activate and make it fluffy.
We didn’t like it :/ I’m sure I did something wrong besides forget the apple cider vinegar, but it was really lacking in flavor.
This turned out great. I have shared it with my friends aswell. Great collection of recipes cookie and Kate. I Enjoy your recipes.
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love TRSgunman
I don’t know much about vegan baking but I sure do know that chocolate and cherries are a perfect combination :)
Great photos! This cake looks awesome.
Oh wowwww, this is the most gorgeous cake ive seen in a while. Its just stunning and i bet taste FABULOUS. Massive thumbs up on healthifying the box-mix recipe, it really looks just perfect! :)
Thanks, Sasha! It’s truly a delicious cake. You should try it!
what a beautiful cake! i have baked similar vegan cakes before and love them! will have to try chocolate and cherry :)
this cake looks so moist and perfect. i’m not a fan of chocolate cake, but i might try this one with those juicy cherries if i can find some time before they go out of season. beautiful photos.
Wow, this looks amazing! Is Cookie okay after her chocolate experience?
Yes, she’s fine! Thank you for asking. I acted quickly so I think she got it out of her system before the chocolate could affect her. I’m thankful that she’s such a healthy little dog!
Such a gorgeous cake! I can imagine how delicious cherries and chocolates would be ;-)
That cake looks like a pudding. How I wish I could just get it from the photograph and have some of it rightaway.
OMG, that made me laugh, I know its not funny but it reminded me of when our dog discovered the easter eggs the night before easter and ate 12 of them, cardboard & tin foil included! Lovely Photos
Oh no! That’s a lot of eggs and tinfoil for one dog. They’re ornery creatures, aren’t they?
This looks so delicious!
Chocolate & cherries is always a very happy combo. Love the cake Kate!
Please join me to bake & remember lives lost in 9/11. I am hosting a link up called *Remembrance Cakes* Would love to have you. We are baking cakes, muffins, cupcakes. Anything is great! You can also share posts you have all ready published like this one. Just add the badge to show your support.
http://su.pr/2j5eSB
This looks so good :)
I’ve loved cherries this summer. This cake looks like a great way to use some of them
That cake looks SO GOOD, and the photos are beautiful!
I once made a chocolate beet cake, also from a Moosewood recipe, left it to cool on the counter, and returned to find it mauled by my housemate’s German shepherd! Now I’m more careful about where I leave my baked goods. (The dog was fine, though!)
Poor cake! Glad the dog was ok. Dogs are not to be trusted around homemade cake… neither am I.
Ha! And neither am I. : )
Amazing recipe. Made this cake twice in a week already. For an even healthier variation, I modifed the 1/2 cup oil with 1/4 cup oil and 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce. Turned out fabulous.
Glad to know it works with those substitutions, Sachi. Thank you for sharing!
Kate, I made this last Sunday and it was so delicious! My husband and I ate half the cake the first night (I probably could’ve finished it off, ha!). I’ve never made a vegan cake and was so surprised at how easy this was… loved that everything was mixed right in the pan! This was so good and such a cinch to make that we made another one this evening. It is in the oven RIGHT NOW. Can’t wait. :)
Thanks for the fantastic recipe!
(P.S. No joke, my dog tried to eat this cake… he got one lick of the frosting, but I was able to wrestle him away from the counter after that. Thanks for the fair warning, haha!!)
Glad you two enjoyed the cake, Rachel, and that you caught your dog before he got any more of it! I was in a total panic today because I realized I left a brownie within reach of my Cookie, but I made it home before she found it! Whew.
Made this for my son’s seventh birthday. It was a big hit, nice and moist. I made 1 1/2 times and used an 8 inch pan for the top layer. Greased my pans too, just to be sure. Used about a tbsp of non-dairy margarine in the divinely easy icing as well as water to make it a little creamier. Decorated with some fresh cherries and those tiny silver sugar balls that look like ball bearings. Thanks so much for sharing, and our vegan friends were grateful.
I’m so glad the cake turned out well for your son’s birthday party! Thank you for sharing your substitutions, too.
Hi Wanda, did you make 2 layers of the cake with cherries added and sandwiched them together with icing? I’m thinking of making this for my daughter’s birthday as well!
This cake was absolutely delicious and the recipe was great.
Made it for my great grandma’s 90th birthday and everyone enjoyed it. Really moist and the flavour of the cherries wasn’t to over powering, just perfect.
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for commenting, Skye. I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed the cherry chocolate cake. Wishing your great grandmother a happy (belated) birthday!
This cake looks SO GOOD! Can you sub almond milk for the water? Thanks for the 411! <3
Good question, Ranie. I don’t see why not!
I’ve just baked this cake but it turned out (very yummy! but) super moist after the recommended 35 mins bake time, so I’ve been putting it back in the oven for plus 10 minutes at a time, now I’ve baked it in total at least 60 mins and it’s still kinda moist, especially in the center, not crumbly at all. Any suggestions? I used a gluten free flour mix, could that be the reason?
Noemi, that’s what I just did! I used a mix of almond flour and GF flour and it was total soup. Maybe less water? I had to bake it a lot longer and the edges were getting over cooked. So my thought would be less water….I’m trying it again and will comment about GF considerations.
Oh my! This is delicious! Baked this cake a few days ago to take to a friend for lunch -everybody was surprised that it was whole wheat with no butter and eggs. Incredibly light and chocolatey. I used frozen pitted dark cherries.
Thank you for such delicious and healthful recipes. Your website is the first I turn to when in need of some inspiration! :-)
Your waffle recipes look delicious too – I’ve just ordered a waffle iron so I can sample them!
D, thank you for commenting! I’m sorry for my slow response. I’m so glad you and your friend enjoyed the cake. It’s a good one. Hope you love the waffles. Please let me know how they turn out!
Hi Kate, I don’t have raw sugar, but I do have brown sugar and cane sugar. What is the best substitute? Also can you provide the ratio of substitution. Thanks
Hi, I know some others have used a mix of other sugars in the past, but I haven’t tried it myself. I would suggest searching the comments to see what others recommend based on what you have on hand.
Thank you so much for this amazing looking recipe! I love healthy recipes and I will look forward to trying it out and sharing it with my followers at TianaGustafson.com. As Arnold says “I’ll be back” :) Thanks again!
Hello Kate! This looks SO yummy! Sadly, I don’t have any cherries right now but I have all the other ingredients. Do you think raspberries or strawberries would work instead? Thanks! :)
Hey Anna! I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner. Raspberries or strawberries would be great, I’m sure. You could leave out the fruit and end up with a delicious chocolate cake!
Awesome, thank you! I used strawberries and it was delicious! I can’t wait to try it with cherries:) YUM! Thanks again!
Hooray, glad to hear it!
This cake looks really really yummy!!!! Amazing photography too.
Hallo Kate, I just found out your recipe for this cake today when I brought some fresh cherries from my friend. I had to experiment a little bit as I did not have for example coconut oil and almond extract (used ground almond). Also did not have chocolate chips so I made avocado nutela :-) It was exciting and fun! I think I know now how the ladies felt when they experimented and made these old cooking books in the beginning of 20th century :-) Now I am wanting for cooling down of the cake. Already tried one hot piece and was great – so chocolate :-) Thanks for you recipe and I am looking forward to read and experiment with your other recipies! :-)
Best regards from Europe! Petra
PS: My dog Lucky was assisting me all the time looking forward for the final. It is so shame that dogs can not eat chocolate.
Petra, thank you for commenting! I’m glad your cake turned out great with your substitutions. I’m intrigued by your avocado nutella!
This cake is a head turner. Absolutely decadent.
Thanks, Rachel! So glad you enjoyed it.
forgot to rate the first time!
this looks so, so perfect for me (chocolate and cherries are 2 of my most favorite things). do you think coconut sugar would work in place of turbinado? or would it not be course enough? I’d love to make this, maybe today if I hear back!
http://www.youtube.com/sparklesandsuch26
I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner, Ella! Glad the cake tasted great after it cooled off!
Just made this, with coconut sugar and cacao. My dad LOVES it, but it’s a little to coffee-ful for my taste! I used leftover coffee made at home and I probably should have considered how freakishly strong my parents take their cup of joe. They’ll gladly finish off the cake for me :) BTW I tasted the batter to make sure my coconut sugar sub was ok and I had to add a couple more tbsps. thanks for the recipe! Might be something to make when we have an adult (read: coffee loving) group over for dinner or a book club.
P.S. I really hope you don’t mind that I keep promoting my content here, but I posted another healthy food-centered video a couple days ago and thought you might be interested. Here’s the link! http://youtu.be/NqUOXdwSAYM
Thanks :)
http://www.youtube.com/sparklesandsuch26
That cake looks amazing. No wonder your dog couldn’t stay away.
I am tying this cake tonight or tomorrow! I can’t wait! I just have one question, could I substitute the whole wheat pastry flour for an all purpose or perhaps another one? I have not been able to find whole wheat pastry flour in my small hometown :(
ps. Your dog is the cutest!!
Hi Natis! Yes, all purpose should work just fine!
Hello Kate, I am planning on making this cake a day ahead. Can I cover cake and leave at room temperature or should I put it in the fridge? Thanks.
Hi Jessica! I think it will be fine at room temperature for a day.
Hi Kate! This looks really great. (PS I made your raspberry whole wheat muffins over the weekend and they were amazing!)
Do you think there’s a non refined sugar sub that could work? If so, what would you suggest and do you have any thoughts on measurements?
Hello Kate,
I keep using your recipe even now that the cherries have long finished.
I have subsituted the cherries and cocoa with fresh plums and almondflour, using diluted fruitconcentrate instead of coffee. And now that the plums are finished, i just used almondflour and a mixture of grated carrots, stewed pumpkin, lemon juice and fresh ginger. And it looks and smells good again. Thank you ever so much for the recipe that made me bake so many cakes this summer that we and our team on the biodynamic farm are happier than ever before. Greetings from the netherlands, Bye renee
Hi Renee! I love the substitutions you’ve made with this cake. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Kate! Quick question- do you think that decaf coffee would work okay for this recipe? Some of my family members are a bit sensitive to caffeine, though they can tolerate it in small doses. Thanks so much!
Kindest,
Gigi
Gigi, I’m so sorry for my slow response. Yes, decaf would work great, as would plain old water (albeit with less flavor)!
Fantastic !!!! I have tried many vegan cakes and this is an all time favorite
I used about a third strawberry low sugar jam as Im out of applesauce and often sub applesauce for half the oil..no vanilla as I cant afford it. I disagree with stirring dry into liquid in the pan as it made a mess and the parchment paper shifted so took it out and mixed dry and wet in bowl as traditional cakes do. I used my dark frozen cherries from Super Store..pushed into the pan. It turned out fine. I used whole wheat flour and some stevia as well as brown sugar and a bit of white sugar. Used a sifter for all the dry ingredients. Delicious.
Cake is easy to make and tastes fab! Thank you very much for this gorgeous recipe :)
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For people who may not have all the ingredients: I found that you could totally replace Cider with Apple Cider, or Moist Brown Sugar for turbinado sugar, and omit the Almond Extract if you also don’t have that! Great Recipe! I took it to school, and everyone fell in Love!
Can I use honey instead of sugar? Any suggestions on the measurements?
Thanks
I’m sorry, I’m really not sure how well that would work. You’d probably need to decrease the amount of liquid elsewhere.
My absolutely lovely sister made this for my birthday and it was ridiculously good. Wonderful cake, uber sweet sister
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Hi Kate, thank you for the recipe. I just made the cake and it is delicious (eating it right now for a very late breakfast). I used regular white sugar and a mixture of baking soda and baking powder and just a splash of rice wine vinegar (the only vinegar we had in the house). Also made it with 1 cup strong wholewheat flour and 1/2 all purpose – just because I didn’t have regular wholewheat and didn’t want it to taste too much like bread.
Despite all these substitutions (the struggles of being a student without a proper kitchen and equipment!) it turned out beautiful, and even my non-vegan, very picky boyfriend couldn’t tell that it was “healthy” and asked for seconds. He said it tasted like brownies, but ~lighter~.
Thanks, Lenka! That’s awesome!