What do you get when you marry together cake balls with chocolate dipped cherries? You get Chocolate Cherry Bombs!
Back in 2011, just one month after I began blogging here at Hungry Happenings, I made my first batch of Sweet Cake Ball Cherry Bombs, brought them to a friend’s party and the party guests couldn’t get enough of them. So many asked me for the recipe and I happily told them they could find it on my blog.
I was so excited at their reaction and equally as happy at the reaction from the blogging community. The recipe was my first hit. Now that I’m making videos I thought it was a great time to revisit this recipe.
The original Chocolate Cherry Bombs were made using a cake mix and frosting from a tub. I decided to keep this recipe simple by using a cake mix, but I doctored that mix to make the new cake balls intensely chocolate and super moist. I’ve used this recipe to make cakes for so many parties and no one ever guesses the cakes are made from a cake mix. They are that good.
When you look at the image above of my original version of the Chocolate Cherry Bombs, you can see the center looks quite a bit different than the new one. The originals were actually the very first cake balls I ever made. I crumbled up my cake and mixed it with a tub of frosting using a spatula. Over the years, I’ve learned that I can get a really dense, almost truffle like cake ball, by mixing the cake and frosting together in my Kitchen-Aid mixer.
To make the new version of the cake balls, I still took the easy route and used frosting from a tub, but this time instead of the grocery store variety, I used Wilton Ready To Use Decorator Icing. I actually like the flavor of that frosting better than most homemade recipes.
My suggestion is to use the chocolate cake mix or recipe and the frosting that you like the best, just be sure to make at least one batch of these Chocolate Cherry Bombs or perhaps 2 or 3. You’ll thank me later.
- 1 (15.25 ounce) dark chocolate cake mix
- 1 (3.56 ounce) chocolate pudding mix (instant pudding)
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1/3 cup frosting (vanilla or chocolate)
- 48 maraschino cherries with stems
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
-
Either line a 9 inch by 13 inch baking pan with non-stick tin foil or spray it with baking spray.
-
Combine cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, milk, oil, and eggs in a large mixing bowl.
-
Using an electric mixer, beat on low speed for 30 seconds.
-
Increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes.
-
Pour into pan.
-
Bake for 28-34 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
-
Allow cake to cool completely.
-
Crumble cake into a large bowl, preferable the bowl of a stand mixer.
-
Add frosting and stir or beat until well blended and smooth.
-
Scoop out 48 tablespoon size portions of the cake ball dough.
-
Create an indentation in one cake ball and press a maraschino cherry into it.
-
Press the cake ball dough around the cherry.
-
Roll into a ball with the stem sticking out.
-
Repeat.
-
Let cake balls sit at room temperature for 1 hour to firm up a bit.
-
Dip each cake ball into dark chocolate, allowing the excess to drip off.
-
Set on a parchment lined baking sheet.
-
If using pure chocolate, chill the Chocolate Cherry Bombs in the refrigerator until the chocolate hardens.
-
If using candy melts pop them in the freezer, instead.
-
Let the cherry bombs sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Here’s a step-by-step video tutorial showing your how to make these Chocolate Cherry Bombs.
If you’d like to see the tutorial with step-by-step pictures check out my original post, here.
Be sure to check out all my fun Christmas Recipes!
If you are looking for other treats or gifts to make for Valentine’s Day,
you might like these other recipes too.
I do remember these! Now that’s what I call a chocolate covered cherry!
🙂
Can these be made ahead of time? If so, how long will they keep?
I’ve eaten them up to 4 days after making them and they were fine. By the 5th day they seem to get a little soggy.
Instant pudding or cook & serve?
Hi, Michelle. You want to use instant pudding. Enjoy!
Do you store them in the fridge?
They will keep for up to 3 days at room temperature. If you store them in the fridge, place them in a cardboard box lined with some paper towels (you can even sprinkle some baking soda under the paper towels) to keep beads of condensation from forming on the chocolate. Remove them from the fridge and keep them in the box for at least an hour before opening the box. The chocolate should stay dry that way.
It has been awhile since there have been any comments, so I’m not sure you will see my comment. The cake is in the oven, and has been for well over the time stated in the recipe. The cake is done everywhere except the middle … it’s almost like it is just pudding in the middle and will not firm up no matter how long I seem to bake it. I’m afraid to bake any longer, as I don’t want to burn the cake. Do you have any ideas of why this is happening?
I’m so sorry I didn’t see this sooner. I’m sure the cake has been pulled from the oven. I’m sorry to hear it didn’t seem to bake in the center. It is definitely a very moist cake. The type of pan can effect how quickly the cake bakes around the exterior. I find good quality aluminum pans to work the best. Dark pans can bake the exterior more quickly. If the exterior did get a little bit too dark, you can simply cut around the edge of the cake and dispose those browned edges.
Thank you, Beth, for your quick reply. I did take it out of the oven, and it still looked like pudding in the middle, but after it sat for awhile and cooled off a bit, the middle seemed to be firming up. Now I hope I didn’t bake it for too long! Keeping my fingers crossed everything turns out in the the end! Thank you!
I do hope it turns out well for you. I love the flavor of this cake and hope you do too. Enjoy!