Ok here's a showstopper of a recipe that was brought to my attention by my niece, Kristin. It was a Tip Hero video that she posted on my FB page with a comment that said "This needs to happen!" She was absolutely right! This seriously needed to happen, and it will definitely need to happen again! There's a whole lot of "how can this not be good?" about this cake. Besides the whole wow factor, it's rich and creamy and delicious! Add the fact that I already had just about all of the ingredients on hand and this became a no-brainer for what to make for my family at a recent get-together. RAVE reviews from everyone! If you have a special occasion coming up, or maybe you'd like to make this for your special someone, THIS is just the thing! Yes, I know it looks like there are lots of steps and ingredients, but really, there's nothing difficult going on here. (I'm looking at YOU, Terri). Just follow the directions and you'll be good to go! I PROMISE you it'll be worth the extra effort!
Cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup water
6 oz unsalted butter
1/3 cup cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-processed
1 heaping tbsp. espresso powder
6 oz bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsp. brown sugar
16 jumbo maraschino cherries, drained
3/4 cup cherry pie filling
Cheesecake filling:
2 – 8 oz. packages cream cheese
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 egg
Glaze:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1-2 tbsp. milk
Preheat oven to 350℉.
Spray a 10-12 cup Bundt pan generously with baking spray with flour. Set aside.
Cake:
In a large bowl combine the flour, granulated sugar, salt, and baking soda. Whisk until fully blended.
In a small saucepan, combine the water and 6 oz. butter. Place over medium heat and cook until the butter has melted. Add cocoa and espresso powders and whisk until no lumps remain. Add the chocolate chips and continue stirring until completely melted and the sauce is smooth. Remove from heat. Add chocolate sauce to the dry ingredients, then whisk until just combined. Blend in sour cream. Add eggs and vanilla, then mix until fully combined, making sure not to over-mix the batter.
Cheesecake filling:
In a medium bowl with a hand mixer, beat cream cheese, granulated sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add flour and egg and beat until smooth.
Assembly:
Evenly, pour 1 1/2 tbsp. melted butter into the bottom of the prepared Bundt pan. Evenly sprinkle 2 tbsp. brown sugar on top of the melted butter. Place 2 maraschino cherries each into the larger grooves of the Bundt pan.
Pour 3/4 of the prepared cake batter on top of the cherries. With a large spoon, evenly spoon the cheesecake filling into the center of the batter, not allowing it to touch the sides of the pan. Spoon cherry pie filling on top of the cheesecake filling, again not allowing it to touch the sides of the pan. Pour remaining cake batter over the filling. Bake 50 – 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes, then flip cake out of pan and cool completely.
Glaze:
Once cake has cooled, prepare the glaze. In a large bowl, combine confectioners’ sugar and milk, whisk until smooth. Drizzle cake with glaze. Allow glaze to set and serve.
Tips:
Not a fan of cherries? Try a different kind of pie filling! How about raspberry or strawberry or even peach? It would all work!
For a little extra cherry kick, you could also add a little of the maraschino cherry juice to the glaze. It'll give it a lovely pink tint too! Another glaze option would be to add a little cherry liqueur instead of the milk. Works for me!
Another option would be to make a ganache to pour over the cake instead of the glaze. Just heat some heavy cream and then pour it over an equal amount of chocolate or white chocolate chips. Lets it sit so the chips melt, then whisk until smooth. Easy!
Btw, if you're out of sour cream, just use buttermilk instead! It's not the best substitute when you're topping a baked potato or nachos, but in baking it works perfectly well!
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