SINFUL CHOCOLATE-CHERRY CAKE

Sinful Chocolate-Cherry Cake image

Provided by Jo Ann Gullett

Categories Cakes

Time 45m

Number Of Ingredients 19

FOR THE CAKE:
10 oz maraschino jar, cherries, drained ( save juice), chop cherries
1 box moist devil's food cake mix
1/2 c vegetable oil
3 eggs
FOR THE ICING:
1/2 c crisco ( not liquid)
1/2 c unsalted butter ( do not use margarine)
1 Tbsp meringue powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp butter flavoring
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp orange extract
1/4 tsp lemon extract
16 oz powdered sugar
2 Tbsp warm water
1/8 tsp salt
10 oz jar, maraschino cherries, drained, ( save juice ) chopped
1 c cherry-cola beverage ( this goes in the cake, not the icing, couldn't get it to add under cake ingredients

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Spray bottom of 13x9x2 inch pan, with spray, then sprinkle sugar over that. ( This gives your a cake a small "sweetness" on bottom of cake.
2. In large bowl, beat cake mix, cola beverage, oil, eggs, and saved cherry juice, with electric mixer on low, for 30 seconds, then on medium for 2 minutes.
3. Stir in chopped cherries.
4. Bake 34 to 42 minutes, or until toothpick inserted, comes out clean. Cool completely, ( about an hour), then frost cake with icing below.
5. In a small cup, measure out water and salt. Set aside and let the salt dissolve.
6. With an electric mixer, cream crisco, and butter until well combined.
7. Add meringue powder and all the extracts and flavorings, mixing well.
8. On low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar until well combined. It will get clumpy after the it is all in there.
9. Mix in salt/water, enough cherry juice to desired consistency.
10. Stir in chopped cherries, if you end up adding too much liquid, and it's too thin, just add a little bit of powdered sugar @ a time, until you get to the right consistancy that you want. And if it's too thick, just add a little bit more of cherry juice, until it's just like you want it.
11. Frost cake.