Chocolate Cherry Bars
Chocolate Cherry Bars are so easy and a great potluck dessert. They’re ultra moist and are lathered with a decadent chocolate frosting.
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CHOCOLATE CHERRY BARS
I don’t think people really get how much I love food. It was 11:30 pm the other night and my sister-in-law, who is staying with us, said, “I’m off to bed, good night!”
To which I replied, “Good night! I’m going to make a cake.“
Yep. I’m crazy. A crazy night owl.
This cake is delicious. In fact, I was supposed to take it to a baby shower and we ended up just eating it all by ourselves. The frosting – buttery, chocolate, fudgey. The cake – moist, fluffy, with a hint of almond and cherry.
And I couldn’t really take it to a baby shower with a piece cut out already. Although that happens more often than it doesn’t in my life. 
I’m not usually a fan of pictures of food with bites taken out of them but…you…guys…heaven.
OTHER CHOCOLATE RECIPES:
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cupcakes
- Molten Lava Cake
- Homemade Reese’s Bars
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Ritz Bars
- No-Bake Cookies
- German Chocolate Bars
- Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies
- See’s Fudge
- Culter’s Frosted Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Ritz Crackers
Chocolate Cherry Bars
Ingredients
Cake Bars:
- 1 (18.25-oz.) package Devil's Food Cake Mix (you can use a 15.25 or 16.25 oz package as well)
- 1 (21-oz.) can cherry pie filling
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 eggs, beaten
Frosting:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup milk
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 15x10x1-inch baking pan or 13x9-inch baking dish. Photo above was in a 13X9-inch baking dish.
- In large bowl, combine all cake bar ingredients (cake mix, cherry pie filling, almond extract, and eggs);
- Stir until well blended. You can use a stand mixer or stir by hand. A stand mixer will break up the cherries a bit more. Pour into greased and floured pan.
- Bake at 350°F. until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. For 15x10x1-inch pan, bake 20 to 30 minutes; for 13x9-inch pan, bake 25 to 35 minutes.
- In small saucepan, combine sugar, milk and butter. Bring mixture to a boil and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in chocolate chips and almond extract until smooth. Pour and spread over warm bars. Cool 2 hours or until completely cooled. You can speed up this process by placing them in the fridge to cool. Cut into bars.
Notes
I love this Pillsbury Bake Off Winner classic from 1973!! It ahs been my birthday cake for as many years and my kids! I don’t see you credit Pillsbury but definitely the one on the cover of that next years cookbook is sure to make any party better!
YeS I credited them in the recipe card!
Girl, it’s been credited to Pilsbury for years. I have been coming back to this recipe for the last five years, and that credit has always been there. You thought. You thought.
This is such an easy recipe to follow. Made as directed. So delicious! My husband loves them cold. We both love cherry and chocolate. Much easier to make than my cherry brownies with all the cutting of the cherries. Will be making these again soon. Thanks so much for such an awesome recipe!
You are welcome!
Fabulous taste! Loved the recipe!
Thank you!
I was given a similar recipe that calls for powdered sugar instead of granulated in the frosting. What would the results be if I used granulated rather than powdered?
Not sure! I’m sure powdered would be great as well.
If my frosting doesn’t look nice and “wrinkly” like yours, what could I have done wrong?
When is the best time to put the hot icing on the hot squares?
When the bars are still warm!
Wow, all of these look great. Definitely going to save them and try it sometime.
YUM! These look so moist and delicious. Thanks for celebrating my blogiversary with me–it means so much to me!
Of course!!
These look and sound delicious! We have my husband’s family reunion coming up in a few weeks and I bet these would be gone in seconds! Thanks for the great recipe 🙂
This cake is so delicious and easy to make! My husband’s grandmother gave me the recipe 30 years ago and he still asks for it as his birthday cake. 🙂
Thanks for this wonderful opportunity to win these gifts! (& BTW: My cake is in the oven as I type.)
I’d like share my tips on these bars. My family started making this in the 70’s and overtime it has become our “thing”. By far the most requested item at any event we’re invited to attend, even if it’s catered. Buy the dark fudge cake mix or the darkest one you can find. Use the oil for cake like consistency. Buy 20% more cherries pie filling because the regular can now has very few cherries in it. Separate the cherries from the “juice”-fold in cherries after batter is well beaten. I do sometimes use a spatula and scrapemit off the cherries too but not if I’m pressed for time. This way you will have whole cherries in the batter. Use vanilla in the frosting.
These look so good!! I remember eating something just like this as a kid at church potlucks! I have brought things with a couple of pieces missing too!! Oh well!
For the icing, do you use powdered sugar or granulated? Thank you for all the yummy recipes!
granulated sugar. You’re welcome!
This looks good enought to take to a church social, or maybe eat before you get there? Keep up the good work and the recipes coming.
Tommy
Thank you so much Tommy!
Yummy!! These look oh so good!! I love chocolate!!
These look SO good. That fudgy frosting!! And I love cherry anything 🙂