When Life Gives You Cherries…Make Chocolate Cherry CUP Cakes!

Our recent trip to Indy was a “working” family visit so Peepaw wasted no time getting started. And a cherry dessert was sure to be the result of the fruits of his labors. The only question was…what kind of cherry dessert to make?

I’m usually assisted by THREE girls in the Indy kitchen, but two of our grandgirls were headed off for a volleyball camp in Virginia that morning.

So after pitting THOUSANDS of those gorgeous cherries I was too pooped to tackle a complicated cherry dessert, so I put Little Sis in charge of creating a kitchen masterpiece . (This is a PERFECT recipe for children to tackle!) Here is how she made it…from start to finish.

I think my blogger friend Monica at Rockin The Kitchen told me about the original three ingredient recipe…and I just “doctored it up” by adding these plump fresh cherries. (Thanks again Monica!)

There are only three simple ingredients in that original recipe. Just Brownie Mix, Angelfood Cake Mix and Cocoa Powder! (I didn’t count some cooking spray and water as “ingredients.)

Let’s get started! 

ALWAYS the first step? WASH THOSE HANDS WITH SOAP!

Then open those boxes and pour into a mixing bowl.

If your angel food cake mix comes in two packets…just dump them both into the mixing bowl together.

Add the cocoa powder.

Mix all three together VERY well with a whisk.

My little chef soon realized she needed to use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl to completely combine the three ingredients. And about that little mess on the counter? Who cares? Not this Meemaw! (We were having FUN and making memories together…and that’s the best part of cooking with grandkids!)

When the dry mixture was completely combined it was time to make a CUP cake!

First…spray a coffee cup with cooking spray.

Next…Measure TWO Tablespoons of water into the cup.

Next, measure FOUR Tablespoons of the chocolate mixture into the water in the cup. (This is a great place to teach kids how to correctly measure the dry mixture in the measuring spoon.)

Stir the water and dry mixture together VERY well! (If you have a whisk small enough to fit into the coffee cup…use it! (It’s very important to make sure the mixture is completely combined.)

Next? Stir in about 10-12 pitted cherries.

(Looks like we had plenty for THIS recipe!)

Now…head to the microwave!

It’s a tall reach in that Indy kitchen…for BOTH of us! )But that “little” girl is expected to be at least 6′ 2” when she grows up…so I think her days of stretching to reach ANYTHING are already numbered!)

And…now we WAIT! One whole minute!

Voile!

Let the cake cool for several minutes, and rotate the cup to loosen the cake from the inside of the coffee cup. Then carefully dump it onto a small plate. We decorated the cake with a dusting of powdered sugar and a three cherry garnish.

Later my little chef thought a drizzle of chocolate syrup on the plate would be another “fancy” touch too. (I LOVE the fact that she is already creative in her cooking and baking since recipes are only guidelines in MY book!)

You can also make these little cakes without a cherry filling…like this one.

Or you could also add chocolate chips, mini marshmallows or nuts if you’d like. It’s up to you and YOUR little chefs!

Now for the first taste…And these pictures tell it all!

Words not required.

Yes…These little cakes are absolutely delicious…and gorgeous too.

And the proud look on this little girl’s face is another Meemaw memory to treasure.

My freezer is now ready to spill out lots of cherry desserts. (I’ll share another one soon.)

And Peepaw deserved a rest after that “working vacation!”

(Yes indeed…it was a VERY CHERRY Trip!)