Coal Miners Chocolate Cake

Total Time Prep: 15 min. Bake: 30 min. + cooling
Yield 16 pieces
Test Kitchen Approved
This old-fashioned recipe for coal miners chocolate cake is Appalachia's fuss-free version of Black Forest cake.

Ingredients

  • CAKE:
  • 1 box (15-1/4 ounces) devil's food cake mix
  • 1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • FROSTING:
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup evaporated milk
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup baking cocoa
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, cherry pie filling, eggs and vanilla extract; stir until evenly mixed. Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. cake pan.
  2. Bake the cake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  3. Meanwhile, prepare frosting. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine butter, sugar, salt, cocoa powder and evaporated milk. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter has melted and the sugar is fully dissolved, about 3-4 minutes. Remove pan from the heat; add the chocolate chips. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the frosting is smooth and creamy.
  4. Pour frosting over the warm cake. Use an offset spatula to spread into an even layer. Let the cake cool completely at room temperature. Slice into squares; serve.

Nutrition Facts

1 piece: 309 calories, 11g fat (7g saturated fat), 40mg cholesterol, 287mg sodium, 52g carbohydrate (38g sugars, 1g fiber), 3g protein.

This effortless cake recipe hails from Appalachia. It's made with a boxed cake mix, plump cherries and a fudgy frosting topping. —Lauren Habermehl, Pewaukee, Wisconsin
Recipe Creator

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