This Skillet Cherry Chocolate Cake is the 5-ingredient cast iron dessert that disappears before the coffee's even poured. Fudgy devil's food cake laced with pockets of warm cherry pie filling, baked right in your skillet and finished with a glossy layer of chocolate frosting. It's a 1974 Pillsbury Bake-Off winner, the kind of recipe that earned its reputation, and the cast iron skillet is what makes it feel like a modern showstopper.
If you love easy cherry desserts, don't miss my Cola Chocolate Cherry Cake and Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake.
Quick Look at the Recipe
- ✅ Recipe Name: Cherry Chocolate Cake (Cast Iron Skillet)
- 🕒 Ready In: 1 hour
- 👪 Serves: 8 people
- 🥣 Main Ingredients: Devil's food cake mix, cherry pie filling, eggs, almond extract, chocolate frosting
- 📖 Dietary Info: Vegetarian, nut-free. Contains dairy, gluten, and eggs.
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: Five pantry ingredients, one cast iron skillet, a fudgy-moist crumb and juicy cherries in every bite. A bake-off winner that still impresses 50 years later.
Summarize and Save the Recipe
A 5-ingredient cherry chocolate cake baked in a cast iron skillet. The cherry pie filling does double duty (flavor and moisture) so there's no oil or water to add.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Cherry Chocolate Cake
- Five ingredients, zero fuss. Cake mix, eggs, cherry pie filling, almond extract, frosting. That's it. No oil, no water, no mixer.
- The cast iron skillet does the work. Crisp edges, a soft center, and a rustic presentation that goes straight from oven to table.
- A proven winner. The recipe traces back to the 1974 Pillsbury Bake-Off, the kind of pedigree that says "this is going to work."
- Feeds a crowd. One 12-inch skillet makes 8 generous slices. Double it in a Dutch oven for bigger groups.
- Weeknight fast, holiday good. Rich enough for Valentine's Day or an anniversary dinner, quick enough for a Tuesday.
Ingredients
- Devil's Food Cake Mix: The chocolate backbone. Devil's food gives you the deepest cocoa flavor. A standard chocolate cake mix works too, though you'll get a slightly lighter crumb.
- Cherry Pie Filling: Does two jobs at once: flavor plus the moisture a cake mix normally gets from oil and water. Don't substitute fresh cherries here; you need the syrup.
- Eggs: Three eggs make the cake fluffier. The original recipe uses two for a chewier, denser bite. Both are delicious.
- Almond Extract: The secret handshake. Almond and cherry are a classic pairing that lifts the whole cake.
- Cooking Spray: For greasing the skillet. Even a well-seasoned pan benefits from a quick mist.
- Chocolate Frosting: Canned works beautifully. Homemade chocolate ganache or cream cheese frosting are easy upgrades if you've got the time.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Black Forest Cherry Chocolate Cake. Top with fresh whipped cream and extra cherries instead of chocolate frosting.
- Double chocolate. Sprinkle 1 cup of chocolate chips into the batter before baking for molten pockets of chocolate.
- Cherry-almond. Bump the almond extract to 1½ teaspoons and scatter sliced almonds over the frosting.
- Gluten-free cherry chocolate cake. Swap in a gluten-free devil's food mix. The recipe works the same. Verify your pie filling is GF certified.
- Dairy-free. Use a dairy-free cake mix and frosting. Most canned pie fillings are already dairy-free.
- Cherry-pineapple twist. Swap half the cherry filling for crushed pineapple. See Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake.
- Cola version. Pour ½ cup cola into the batter for extra moisture and caramel notes. See our Cola Chocolate Cherry Cake.
How to Make Cherry Chocolate Cake in a Cast Iron Skillet
The reason this cherry chocolate cake has stuck around for 50+ years is how forgiving it is. One cast iron skillet is all you need. No mixer, no fancy pan, no chilling.
What you'll need: A 10- or 12-inch cast iron skillet, a medium mixing bowl, a rubber spatula, and oven mitts.
Step 2: Start the batter. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the dry cake mix, eggs, and almond extract. Stir with a rubber spatula just enough to break the yolks. The mixture will look dry and crumbly. That's normal.
Step 3: Fold in the cherries, gently. Add half the can of cherry pie filling and fold it in with a light hand. The cherries break apart easily, so stop the moment the batter comes together. Then fold in the second half of the pie filling. Skip the electric mixer. It pulverizes the cherries and you lose the juicy pockets that make this cherry chocolate cake special.
Step 4: Pour and bake. Carefully pull the hot skillet from the oven and mist it with cooking spray. Pour the batter in, smooth the top, and slide the skillet back into the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
Step 5: Cool and Frost. Let the cake rest in the skillet for at least 15 minutes before frosting. This lets the crumb set so the frosting doesn't melt into the cake. Spread the chocolate frosting over the top right in the skillet, slice, and serve warm.
Expert Tips
- Preheat the skillet with the oven. A cold skillet going into a hot oven gives you an uneven bake and a stuck cake.
- Grease even seasoned cast iron. Cake has more sugar than most skillet recipes, so cooking spray is cheap insurance.
- Don't overmix. The cherries are the star. Fold, don't stir, and never use an electric mixer.
- Let it rest before frosting. 15 minutes minimum. A hot cake turns frosting into a glaze.
- Use a toothpick, not a timer. Skillets vary in thickness; check at 28 minutes the first time.
- Add a pinch of espresso powder to the batter to amplify the chocolate without adding coffee taste.
What to Serve With Cherry Chocolate Cake
This cherry chocolate cake is rich enough to hold its own after a heavy meal, especially anything cooked low and slow in the Dutch oven. A few DOD pairings:
- Dutch Oven Pot Roast for a Sunday supper that ends in cake.
- Smoked Pork Ribs for a BBQ night finale.
- Mountain Man Breakfast yes, leftover cherry chocolate cake for breakfast counts.
Toppings: vanilla ice cream is the move, but don't stop there. Cherry ice cream for double duty, a drizzle of warm ganache, whipped cream with a splash of almond extract, or a pour of Kirsch for an adults-only finish. Around a campfire, a mug of strong black coffee is all you need.
Looking for more? Browse all Cast Iron Dessert Recipes.
Storage and Reheating
- Storage. Cover the skillet with foil or transfer slices to an airtight container. Keep at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate up to 5.
- Reheating. Warm individual slices in the microwave for 15–20 seconds for that just-baked feel. For a crispy-edge reheat, 300°F oven for 5–7 minutes.
- Freezing. Freeze unfrosted slices wrapped tightly in plastic and foil for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then frost fresh.
- Make-ahead. Bake up to 24 hours ahead and store covered at room temp. Frost the day you serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cherry chocolate cake is a classic American dessert that pairs rich chocolate cake with sweet cherries, usually in the form of cherry pie filling folded into the batter. The most famous version traces back to the 1974 Pillsbury Bake-Off and uses a boxed cake mix, making it one of the easiest showstopper desserts you can bake.
Yes. Any moist devil's food or chocolate cake batter works as a base. Fold in the cherry pie filling the same way (half at a time) after the batter is mixed. The skillet and baking temperature stay the same. You'll get a slightly different crumb but the same flavor profile.
Not for this version. The cherry pie filling replaces the oil and water a cake mix normally needs, and its syrup is what keeps the cake moist. To use fresh cherries you'd need to build a separate thickened cherry layer, which at that point is a different dessert.
A 12-inch cast iron skillet is ideal. A 10-inch works but the cake will be taller and need an extra 5–8 minutes. Avoid smaller skillets, as the batter will overflow.
Yes. Use a 12-inch cast iron Dutch oven at 350°F with about 8 coals on the bottom and 17 on the lid. Rotate the oven and lid every 10 minutes. Check at 30 minutes and pull when a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs.
The cherry pie filling handles both jobs. Adding water or oil on top of the pie filling would turn the cake into a soggy mess.
Yes. Any chocolate cake mix works. Devil's food has more cocoa for a darker, richer result, which I prefer with cherry. Standard chocolate will taste lighter.
They're close cousins. A "dump cake" usually layers cake mix directly on top of pie filling (no stirring). This recipe mixes them together for a more uniform cake texture that is richer and fudgier, less casserole-like.
Absolutely. Bake the cake the day before, leave it covered in the skillet at room temp, and frost right before serving.
Other Related Cast Iron Dessert Recipes
If you tried this Skillet Chocolate Cherry Cake or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Get the Recipe
Cherry Chocolate Cake (Cast Iron Skillet)
Equipment
- 12-inch cast iron skillet
- Medium mixing bowl
- rubber spatula
Ingredients
- cooking spray
- 15.25 oz Devil's Food cake mix
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 eggs
- 21 oz cherry pie filling
- 16 oz prepared chocolate frosting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F with the cast iron skillet inside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, and almond extract. Stir just enough to break the egg yolks. The mixture will look dry.
- Fold in half of the cherry pie filling gently until the batter comes together.
- Fold in the remaining cherry pie filling, keeping as many whole cherries as possible. Do not use an electric mixer.
- Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven and mist with cooking spray.
- Pour the batter into the skillet and smooth the top.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Cool in the skillet for at least 15 minutes.
- Frost with chocolate frosting. Slice and serve warm.
Video
Notes
- Preheat the skillet with the oven for the best crust.
- Grease the skillet even if it's well-seasoned, because sugar sticks.
- Fold, don't beat. The cherry chunks are the point.
- Let the cake rest 15 minutes before frosting so it doesn't melt.
- For a Dutch oven / camping version: bake at 350°F with 8 coals on the bottom and 17 on the lid for 30–35 minutes in a 12" Dutch oven.
Nutrition
Dutch Oven Daddy is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
Dina Miller says
Made this last night. The cherry and chocolate combo was so great!
Ned Adams says
So glad you enjoyed the combo! Thanks for the feedback.
Kechi says
What a delicious skillet brownie recipe! This was so easy to make and everyone loved it. Thanks so much for sharing.
Sophie says
Oh, the Skillet Cherry Chocolate Cake was a total showstopper! Everyone at our gathering loved it, and I couldn't believe how simple it was to make in a skillet!
Ali says
This chocolate cherry cake was incredible!! Goes so well with some vanilla ice cream.
Maike says
This recipe was so delicious and super easy. I served it with fresh whipped cream and we didn't have any leftovers. Great recipe.