Foster Family Favorite: Chocolate Cherry Cake

Even though I have only a picture of the cake in its entirety, you must trust me that this is a fabulous cake!  It is truly one of my family favorites and is often requested on birthdays!

I made it a little bit ago for my mother-in-law's birthday and it turned out amazing, as always!  It is SO simple to make, very affordable, and delicious! The cherry pie filling makes the cake so moist and the chocolate glaze on top is to die for!  That is my very favorite part... mmm I'm wishing I had some chocolate cherry cake right now!!!

Chocolate Cherry Cake

1 (18.25 oz) package Devil's Food cake mix
1 1/2 cans (21 oz) cherry pie filling (just freeze the extra half of the can and use it as a topping for waffles/pancakes or make another cake!)
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup white sugar
5 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup milk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Combine cake mix, cherry pie filling and beaten eggs. Mix just until blended (do not overmix or mix too aggressively as cherries will break apart)
2. Bake in well-greased 9x13 pan at 350 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes.
3. Wait until cake has cooled to make the frosting (you will want to pour frosting over cake immediately after it cooks as it thickens quickly)
4. To make frosting: combine sugar, butter or margarine, and milk.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly and cook for 1 minute.  Remove from heat.  Stir in chocolate chips until melted and smooth.  Pour over cake immediately and spread to make it even.

From personal experience, this cake is even BETTER when eaten the day after it is baked.  Is is more moist and fudgy! But it is delicious all the same whenever you eat it!

YUM!

Chocolate-Cherry Heart Smart Cookies

 

So, I'll be honest.  Before I made this recipe, I was skeptical about how good they would taste- the recipe being from Cooking Light and all.  But I decided to trust the good ole' CL and take a whim at healthy, good-for-you cookies.  What's so good about them?  Whole wheat flour. + oatmeal= fiber. Dried cherries that contain antioxidants.  Low-fat.

 

I'm ALL about the healthy stuff.  I AM health queen after all... ;) And one taste of this cookie dough reaffirmed every notion I had that tells me to stop making decadent, guilty desserts altogether because you can have AMAZING healthy desserts like THIS!!  Seriously, I couldn't stop eating the dough.  Probably defeats the purpose of making healthier treats when you can't stop eating them.  But let's face it: I can't stop eating cookie dough no matter what if it's healthy or not.  So if you look at it that way then I definitely scored one.  Or several...

 

These taste just like a delicious oatmeal chocolate cookie with chunks of dried cherries in them... soo good!  I brought them to my Primary class at church (my husband and I teach the 6 year olds) and they LOVED them.  Said they were the best cookies they'd ever had.  One little boy even asked for the recipe. HAHA I thought that was the cutest thing ever!

So there you have it!  These are a winner and you should be making them in about 5.42 seconds! :)

Chocolate-Cherry Heart Smart Cookies

• 1 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/3 cup)
• 1 1/2 ounces whole-wheat flour (about 1/3 cup)
• 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup dried cherries
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

• 1. Preheat oven to 350°.
• 2. Weigh or lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours and next 3 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl; stir with a whisk.
• 3. Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat; add brown sugar, stirring until smooth. Add sugar mixture to flour mixture; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add cherries, vanilla, and egg; beat until combined. Fold in chocolate. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes. Cool on pans 3 minutes or until almost firm. Remove cookies from pans; cool on wire racks.