Super Easy Gluten Free Chocolate Cherry Cake
Alright mamas, sometimes we just need easy. Easy dinners, easy recipes, easy desserts. Simple and quick with no fuss, those recipes that are in your back pocket that you can pull out in a moments notice. But often adding in an allergy or food intolerance into the mix can simply seem overwhelming and can complicate your meal planning. So it is incredibly helpful to have some tried and true recipes that you can count on; for when company is coming over or for simply wanting to provide a meal for your family that tastes good. I desire to be a gluten free resource for you for recipes just like that! I want to share my tried and true recipes with you, that are easy, not complicated, and that your family will love.
This Chocolate Cherry Cake is just that! It is easy ✔️ It is quick ✔️ Your family will love it ✔️
It is NOT, fancy, gourmet, or expensive. But it is good! My mom often made this cake when I was a kid and I have continued making it. However, recreating it into a gluten free cake wasn’t as easy following her recipe. It unfortunately turned out dry and the texture was strange. The cake needed more moisture and an extra egg and some oil did just trick to take this gluten free cake up a notch.
I start with a simple store bought gluten free cake mix. I chose Pillsbury’s gluten free Devil’s Food cake mix, because not only is it a good mix, it is under $3, helping me keep my cake inexpensive and on budget, a win -win! Yay for Pillsbury!
Pour the cake mix into a bowl, add the eggs and oil. Beat with an electric mixer until blended. Then stir the cherry pie filling in by hand. Pour into a greased pan. A 9 x13″ pan works great, but for this recipe I baked the cake in two 8″ round pans. Follow the temperature directions for your kind of pan on the back of the cake box. Pop into the oven and bake. Let cook and enjoy! It tastes great alone without frosting, but let’s face it, frosting makes everything better. I like a cocoa based chocolate frosting. *Note: if you are a gluten eating person and would like to make this cake with a gluten filled cake mix, omit the oil and reduce the eggs to 3.
For the creamy chocolate frosting, you will need:
1/2 cup softened butter
2/3 cup cocoa powder
3 cups powdered sugar
5 to 6 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla
With an electric mixer, beat the softened butter for about 30 seconds. Add in the cocoa powder and slowly, while mixing add in one cup of powdered sugar. I like to beat until blended and then add 2 tablespoons of milk in. Repeat, with the next cup of powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk. Before I add the remaining powdered sugar, I check to see how the consistency is. Do I want it thicker or creamier? Test it along the way, determining f you want all six tablespoons of milk. Add in the last cup of powdered sugar and tablespoons of milk along with the vanilla. Blend with the electric mixer until smooth and creamy. And honestly, with most frostings, I do not follow a recipe. I start with a stick of softened butter and a cup of powdered sugar and add in more powdered sugar, milk, and flavoring until I get a consistency and flavor that I like.
- 1 store bought gluten free chocolate cake mix
- 1/4 cup oil
- 4 eggs
- 1 can of cherry pie filling
- Pour the cake mix into a bowl, add the eggs and oil. Beat with an electric mixer until blended. Then stir the cherry pie filling in by hand. Pour into a greased pan. A 9 x13" pan works great or two 8" round pans. Follow the temperature directions and specific baking times for your kind of pan on the back of the cake box. Pop into the oven and bake. Let cook and enjoy!