Chocolate Cherry Surprise Cake Recipe

I made this cake twice last week. I got the idea from the back of the cake box. It had a recipe in which you baked two cakes and put the cake together as you normally would, except you would put the can of pie filling in the middle of the cake layers and only frost the top. I tried this and it tasted great, but most of the cherries slopped over the side of the cake and made a huge mess.

To try and fix this issue but still keep the delicousness of the cake, I decided to bake the cake in a bundt pan instead. Then I scooped out the middle of the cake and filled it with the cherry filling. This solved all the problems and it made the cake look very fancy almost like a cake you would buy at a bakery. It is one of those recipes that you can make for a get together and impress everyone with your skills. They would never guess it was so easy to make.

Chocolate Cherry Surprise Cake

1 box chocolate cake mix

Water called for on cake box

Oil called for on cake box

Eggs called for on cake box

1 can cherry pie filling

1 tub of icing

1 bundt pan

Make the cake batter as directed on box and then pour batter into the greased bundt pan. Bake as directed on the back of the box. Turn the cake over so the fancy side is up and the flat side is down. Let the cake cool completely.

Cut off the top 1/4 of the cake and then set it aside. Run a sharp knife 1/4 inch in from the outer edge of the cake and 1/4 inch in from inside of the cake. You want to be sure to not cut all the way to the bottom of the cake. Now scoop out the cake that is inside the cuts. Fill the ring of the empty cake ring with the pie filling. Place the top 1/4 of the cake back on the top. Frost the cake with your favorite icing.

Joy Larson is a mother of four boys, graduate of the University of Montana, animal lover and writer.