Chocolate Cherry Mud Cake
This recipe fits the bill for “easy decadence”—just three simple ingredients, one pan, and a gooey, fudgy, cherry-filled creation that will likely have everyone asking for more.
Ingredients
- 4 cups sweet pitted frozen cherries
- 1 ½ cups chocolate boxed cake mix
- 1 cup berry or cherry-flavored sparkling water
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly mist a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Spread the sweet, pitted cherries evenly across the bottom of the baking dish. There’s no need to thaw the frozen cherries – add to the pan straight from the freezer, breaking up any clumps. Sprinkle the chocolate cake mix (just 1.5 cups worth) evenly over the cherries. Then, pour the 1 cup sparkling water (NOTE: it’s just 1 cup—not the entire can) over the top and gently stir everything together in the dish until the cake mix is fully combined. It will take a few minutes to fully blend the mixture, and it will become nice and thick.
- Bake for about 50 minutes, until the top is set, and the center remains fudgy and gooey.
- Let cool slightly, then scoop into bowls and serve warm. For an extra treat, top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Notes
Storage:
• Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days in a sealed container. Reheat in the microwave for 20-30 seconds or enjoy it cold for a firmer texture. Ingredient swaps:
• You can try a different cake mix, like vanilla or yellow, for a non-chocolate twist. Although, I haven’t tested this yet and so I’m not sure what the resulting color will look like. The cherries will likely bleed and stain the lighter cake mix a tone of light pink. • Not all gluten-free cake mixes will work. I have not tried this personally, I know this only from followers who have reported success using King Arthur GF cake mix and Wegmans GF cake mix, and adding 1 ½ cups of sparkling water (versus one cup). Various pan sizes:
• If you don’t have a 9x13 pan or want to experiment with different pan sizes, here’s how to adjust for an 8x8 or 9x9 square pan: Reduce the ingredients by about a third; 2 ½ cups frozen cherries, 1 cup chocolate cake mix, and ⅔ cup sparkling water. The bake time will also likely be shortened, so start checking for doneness at 40-45 minutes, but keep an eye on the center to ensure it stays set but fudgy.
• Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days in a sealed container. Reheat in the microwave for 20-30 seconds or enjoy it cold for a firmer texture. Ingredient swaps:
• You can try a different cake mix, like vanilla or yellow, for a non-chocolate twist. Although, I haven’t tested this yet and so I’m not sure what the resulting color will look like. The cherries will likely bleed and stain the lighter cake mix a tone of light pink. • Not all gluten-free cake mixes will work. I have not tried this personally, I know this only from followers who have reported success using King Arthur GF cake mix and Wegmans GF cake mix, and adding 1 ½ cups of sparkling water (versus one cup). Various pan sizes:
• If you don’t have a 9x13 pan or want to experiment with different pan sizes, here’s how to adjust for an 8x8 or 9x9 square pan: Reduce the ingredients by about a third; 2 ½ cups frozen cherries, 1 cup chocolate cake mix, and ⅔ cup sparkling water. The bake time will also likely be shortened, so start checking for doneness at 40-45 minutes, but keep an eye on the center to ensure it stays set but fudgy.
Nutrition Information per serving
Serving Size: 1 cupCalories: 180Carbohydrates: 40gProtein: 2gTotal Fat: 1g— Unsaturated Fat: 0.5g— Saturated Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 270mgPotassium: 264mgFiber: 3gTotal Sugar: 25g— Natural Sugar: 13g— Added Sugar: 12gVitamin C: 7mgIron: 1.4mg
Nutrition information is calculated using a leading industry software. That being said, brands can vary, and there may be slight fluctuations in the numbers.