Rich Chocolate Cherry Cake

The shortcut here is also the secret. A can of cherry pie filling stirred into the batter does double duty, keeping the crumb impossibly moist while studding the cake with sweet-tart fruit, no pitting or fussing required.

It’s a one-bowl batter, too. Flour, sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla, and a hit of cinnamon come together fast, then the pie filling, chocolate chips, and chopped nuts fold in.

As it bakes, the chocolate chips melt into pockets of fudge throughout the cake, while the nuts add a toasty crunch against the soft crumb.

Cinnamon is the quiet touch that ties cherry and chocolate together, giving the whole thing a warm, almost Black Forest character.

Bake it in a bundt pan, cool, then frost with chocolate icing and a final shower of chocolate chips for a cake that looks as rich as it tastes.

Pro Tips

• Grease and flour the bundt pan thoroughly, getting into every groove, so the cake releases cleanly.
• Cool the cake in the pan only 10 minutes before turning it out, as the recipe says; leave it longer and it can stick.
• Frost only once the cake is completely cool, or the chocolate icing will slide right off.

Variations

• Swap the cherry pie filling for raspberry or blueberry for a different fruit-and-chocolate combo.
• Use walnuts, pecans, or almonds, or leave the nuts out for a nut-free cake.
• Skip the icing and dust with powdered sugar, or drizzle with a simple chocolate ganache.