Flourless Chocolate Cherry Cake
This is an indulgent Flourless Chocolate Cherry Cake recipe with a twist of dried sour cherries soaked in red wine. It’s perfect for chocolate lovers and suitable for Passover. This recipe is based off of the King Arthur recipe, modified with cherries and for a 9″ pan.
There is never a bad time to make a flourless chocolate cake. If you are a chocolate lover like I am, this dessert is always welcome. Passover in particular is a great time to make this dessert!
I love chocolate and fruits together. My Blood Orange Chocolate Upside Down Cake, as well as my Double Chocolate Raspberry Blondies are some of my favorite recipes.
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Ingredients
- Dried sour cherries
- Red wine
- Bittersweet chocolate
- Butter
- White sugar
- Kosher salt
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- Large eggs
- Dutch-process cocoa
- Powdered sugar
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
This cake couldn’t be easier. There is no stand mixer required, no vigorous whisking, no tough methods.
- Soak dried cherries in red wine.
- Using a double boiler, melt chocolate and butter together until uniform.
- Stir in sugar, salt, and vanilla. Then, whisk in eggs and fold in cocoa powder.
- Drain cherries (keep the liquid!) and add the cherries to the batter.
- Spoon batter into prepared 9-inch pan (I prefer a springform pan for this recipe), then bake for 25 minutes.
- Cool cake in pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a serving plate.
- Sprinkle powdered sugar on top before serving.
Substitutions and Variations
This cake is extremely simple and there is not much to modify! Here are some ideas.
- Fruit – instead of dried sour cherries, raisins or other dried berries could work as well
- Soaking liquid – bourbon would be a great substitution for red wine. Keep in mind, bourbon is not gluten-free and not kosher for passover.
- Espresso powder – the original King Arthur recipe suggests using espresso powder in the batter, BUT I find that when adding the red wine-soaked cherries, the espresso powder clashes.
How to make a double boiler
My preferred way to melt butter and chocolate together is by using a double boiler. I find that using a microwave takes too much effort, plus the chocolate might overheat. You can absolutely buy a double boiler, but I prefer a makeshift one with items I already have in my kitchen.
To DIY a double boiler, you need a sauce pan and a heat-safe bowl larger than the brim of the pan. Add a couple inches of water to the sauce pan and bring to a gentle simmer. A boil is not necessary, and will actually cause the water to evaporate quicker. Place the bowl with the butter and chocolate over the saucepan with simmering water. You want the bowl to go part way inside the saucepan as to not touch the water. I use my pyrex bowls for this!
Other Passover Recipes:
Flourless Chocolate Cherry Cake
Ingredients
- 10 oz dried sour cherries (not freeze-dried)
- 1 cup cabernet savignon or other red wine
- 212 grams bittersweet chocolate
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ⅞ cup granulated sugar (¾ cup + 2 tablespoons)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- 53 g Dutch-process cocoa
- Powdered sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a metal 9″ round cake pan; cut a piece of parchment to fit, grease it, and lay it in the bottom of the pan.
- In a bowl, add the dried cherries and cover with red wine. Set aside.
- To make the cake: Put the chocolate and butter in a heat-safe bowl. Add 2 inches of water to a sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Fit the bowl over the sauce pan so that it fits snugly but does not touch the water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter have melted.
- Stir in the sugar, salt, and vanilla. Then, add the eggs, whisking briefly until smooth. Fold in the cocoa powder.
- Drain the cherries. Add the drained cherries to the batter and mix to combine. You can keep the liquid and make a cocktail out of it!
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, spreading the batter evenly. Bake the cake for 25 minutes; the top will have formed a thin crust, and it should register at least 200°F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into its center.
- Remove it from the oven, and cool it in the pan for 5 minutes.
- If using a springform pan, release the sides and move the cake to a serving plate. If using a regular cake pan, loosen the edges of the pan with a table knife or nylon spreader, and turn it out onto a serving plate. The top will now be on the bottom; that's fine. Also, the edges will crumble a bit, which is also fine. Allow the cake to cool then sprinkle some powdered sugar on top to serve.
