Chocolate and cherries

(And peanut butter)

It can’t be just me that loves the combination of chocolate and cherries, and over the last couple of weeks I have been baking with that theme in mind.
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I made some pb & j brownies to take to work- this was a basic brownie recipe (I used the Hummingbird book one this time), with peanut butter and cherry conserve dropped onto the batter, and swirled before baking.

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These were so good- I dare you to try making them!

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I also treated myself to a stand mixer- I have been after one for years but they are so expensive that I could not ever justify one. Since the summer I have been saving up my John Lewis vouchers, and recently they were matching a promotion elsewhere which made it just about affordable. Making icing has been a dream!

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I made a chocolate and cherry cake, as an excuse to make icing really. The recipe was based on a chocolate orange one from the brilliant CCC book, but I have adapted it enough I think.

For the cake:

100g butter

100g caster sugar

3 eggs

100g self raising flour

25g cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1-2 tbs milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

For the filling:

Cherry jam

125g butter, softened

250g Sugar and Crumbs Black Forest icing sugar (or sub with plain icing sugar and cocoa powder)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 170C, and line two 18cm round tins.

Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy (I did this in the mixer too!).

Add the eggs, and the vanilla, and beat well.

Stir in the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder, and gently fold in. Add the milk- you want it to be of a dropping consistency.

Pour into the tins, and bake for around 20-25 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.

Leave to cool for a bit in the tins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the icing, I used a packet of Sugar and Crumbs Black Forest icing sugar, which is flavoured icing sugar and cocoa.

To make the icing, beat the butter until it is fluffy (hooray, I got to use my mixer again!), then add half the icing sugar, beat again, and then add the rest of the icing sugar. The more you beat it, the paler it will become.

2015-05-16 17.34.11To assembly, spread a thin amount of the icing on one cake, and top with a generous amount of cherry jam.

Sandwich the other cake on top, and then top with the rest of the icing.

I have realised I forgot to take a photograph of the final cake! How did I manage that?

Anyway, you will just have to believe that it looked quite pretty, and tasted rather good too.

Are you a fan of pb&j, or chocolate and cherry? What is your favourite flavour combination? What is the last thing you splurged on?

 

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17 thoughts on “Chocolate and cherries”

    1. Oooh, that cherry bar sounds good 🙂
      Trouble is, it has to be real cherry and not fake- Kingdom do a cherry one but it tastes like flavouring to me.

  1. I don’t think I’ve properly had cherry and chocolate together – is that odd?! I’m not a big fruit and chocolate combo fan so maybe that’s why. I like fruit and I like chocolate – just not necessarily together?! That being said, I wouldn’t say no to either of these fantastic looking creations. For experimentation purposes of course 😉

    1. I would say yes???? Proper dried cherries are so good in dark chocolate- better than raisins 🙂

  2. I had a slice of chocolate and cherry tiffin cake the other week and it’s all I have been thinking about since. I haven’t had time to bake with Ofsted in this week and a house move in eight days but the plan is to make some tiffin cake to leave for the new owners of our house (and also sneak some for us that morning too!)
    Also, very jealous of your stand mixer! 🙂

    1. Yum to the tiffin- I love that stuff (but don’t tend to make it myself as I like to ignore what it is made of!).
      Poor you with Ofsted- hope you are recovering now!

    1. Thanks- it was a good combo and one I shall repeat in the future 🙂
      I have been after a Kitchenaid for years so am very happy I finally have one.

    1. I am looking forward to making dough with it, as I love things like cinnamon buns but am not so good at kneading the dough enough.

  3. Woahhhhhh! What a combination! Ive been thinking of investing in a Kitchen Aid for a while and this might have just pushed me over the edge!

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