Seriously, is tomorrow really December 1st?  I know that is what the calendar says, but what happened to the rest of the year?  Where did it all go?  I still have to get out my Christmas decorations.  Hopefully everyone else is better prepared than I am.  Of course, I am in the full swing of holiday eating; there is no shortage of delicious food laying around my house….

Who doesn’t love a little dark chocolate every now and then. This cake is rich and moist, it is great because it is so simple. It uses a cake mix, and can be made a couple of days in advance.  Just don’t add the ganache and chopped chocolate until the day you are ready to serve it.)

Dark Chocolate Chunk Cherry Cake

Ingredients:

Unsweetened cocoa
1 package yellow cake mix with pudding
1/2 cup sugar
1 small box chocolate instant pudding mix
4 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
1 cup container sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
5 (3-ounce) dark chocolate bars, divided
1/2 cup coarsely chopped dried cherries
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:

Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan, and dust with cocoa; set aside.  Preheat oven to 350.

Combine cake mix, sugar, and pudding mix, eggs, oil, water, sour cream and vanilla  in a large mixing bowl.  Beat for 2 minutes or until all incorporated.

Coarsely chop 3 chocolate bars; fold cherries and chopped chocolate into batter. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack.

Coarsely chop 1 chocolate bar. Place chopped chocolate and butter in a small bowl; set aside.

Bring whipping cream to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove from heat, and immediately pour over chocolate and butter. Whisk gently until smooth. Cool glaze in the fridge 3-5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Drizzle glaze over cake. Coarsely chop remaining chocolate bar; sprinkle chopped chocolate over cake.

*Recipe adapted from Christmas With Southern Living 2006.