Cathy Garvey
Chocolate Cherry Tunnel Cake
Chocolate Cake
- 6 oz miniature semisweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 box fudge cake mix
- 1 cup water
- 3 eggs, at room temp
- ½ cup butter milk, at room temp
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tbsp vegetable oail
- ½ to ¾ cup cherry brandy
Cherry Filling
- 2 cup fresh cherries, pitted and coarsely chopped
- 5 tbsp cherry brandy
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Assembly
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tbsp confectioners sugar
- 1 tbsp cherry brandy
- 5 whole cherries, with stems
- Grated chocolate
- Bring the milk to a gentle boil. Pour hot milk over chocolate chips and whisk until smooth.
- Combine cake mix, water, eggs, buttermilk, butter, oil, and melted chocolate. Mix at medium speed for 1 minute, or until all ingredients are moistened. Increase to high speed and beat 2°minutes until the batter is thick and smooth.
- Scrape the batter into a buttered and floured 9-inch / 14 cup tube pan. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
- Bake at 350°for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool in pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a knife around the top edge of the cake and invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Using a small sharp knife, cut a trench about 1½" deep, ¾" wide through the top center of the cake. Holding the knife sideways, lift out the trench, piece by piece and reserve.
- In a small saucepan, heat the brandy until it is very warm but not boiling. Brush the cake with the warm brandy, allowing the cake to soak it up between applications.
- Mix 4 tbsp brandy, cornstarch, and vanilla. Stir mixture and chopped cherries in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture has come to a boil and thickened. Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in remaining 1 tbsp of brandy. Refrigerate.
- Beat whipped cream, sugar, and brandy until soft peaks start to form.
- Spoon the cherry filling into the trench in the cake, filling evenly. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a start tip with the whipped cream. Pipe a decorative pattern over the cherry filled trench.
- If desired, place five whole cherries, evenly spaced, on the whipped cream. Sprinkle with chocolate shavings.