with Cherry Bourbon Butter Sauce! 
I have spent the most grand and glorious last few days in Door County, WI with my mom and aunt. We have shopped, we have toured, we have walked, and (oh my) have we eaten!
Of course we did the local whitefish boil at Pelletier’s:
Ice Cream at Wilson’s Restaurant and Ice Cream Parlor in Ephraim:
We spotted Al Johnson’s goats on top of the roof:
And I tried my very first halibut cheeks at Harbor Fish Market & Grille in Bailey’s Harbor:
Mom had the 1 lb. rock lobster tail:
But mostly, we sampled cherry everything: cherry pie, cherry salsa, cherry butter, cherry strudel, cherry wine. If it was a cherry product, we tried it, because we are in the heart of tart cherry country!
So how coincidental that I have been working on a cherry recipe. My new Chocolate Cherry Zucchini Cake is a super moist fudgy chocolate cake that is studded with chunks of sweet cherries and topped with a Cherry Bourbon Butter Sauce. And darest I mention how convenient it is to sneak in some zucchini as well? As much as I have had my amusement poking fun at those ubiquitous little garden fertile wonders, I must admit that they make one heck of a moist cake. And just think of all the fiber benefits without even detecting they are there!
If Cherry Bourbon Butter Sauce is not your thing, I’ve got a great little ice cream coming up that goes EXQUISITELY with this cake. Stay tuned!
- Chocolate Cherry Zucchini Cake:
- 3 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa (I use dark)
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 3 cups sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- ⅔ cup boiling water
- 2 cups fresh pitted quartered sweet cherries
- 2 cups grated zucchini
- Cherry Whiskey Butter Sauce:
- 3 cups fresh pitted chopped sweet cherries
- ¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1½ tablespoons bourbon
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup cold butter, sliced into pieces
- To make the cake, preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease and flour a Bundt pan (or use an all-in-one baking spray). Put 3 cups flour, cinnamon, cocoa, salt and soda in a large bowl and whisk together completely. Combine eggs, sugar and oil in a medium bowl. Add wet mixture to flour mixture and stir just until blended. Stir in water. Toss remaining 2 tablespoons flour with 2 cups quartered cherries to keep them from sinking to the bottom of the pan. Fold cherries and zucchini into batter and pour into prepared Bundt pan. Bake in 350˚F oven for 55-65 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.
- In the meantime, place 3 cups chopped cherries, brown sugar, bourbon and water in a large saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil and cook over medium heat until cherries are soft, about 7-10 minutes. Remove from heat and place in a blender, blending until smooth. Pour thru a fine mesh sieve back into the saucepan, pressing on the solids to extract the liquid. Stir in the butter while cooking on medium heat, until sauce is thickened.
- Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. Loosen sides of the cake with a nylon spatula. Place a heatproof serving plate upside down over the pan; turn plate and pan over. Then remove the pan to reveal your masterpiece! Serve warm with the Cherry Bourbon Butter Sauce.
© 2013 Sherry Klinedinst
All rights reserved. Repost with permission only.
Watch video here:
Can’t see video? Watch it here: Chocolate Cherry Zucchini Cake
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Fabulous presentation and luscious dessert! Thanks for posting this! Debbie @ Kneaded Creations
Wow Sherry! What a fun adventure – so many great pictures! And this chocolate cherry zucchini cake looks amazing – the sauce sounds divine. Pinning!
xo
YUM!!! This sounds amazing! I’d love it if you’d stop by and link it up at Random Recipe Link Up
Thanks for the invite. I will link up!
Sounds like a wonderful time was had! This cake sounds divine,thanks for sharing.
I just love the photo with the goat on the roof! This cake looks delicious and I will say it is healthy because it has zucchini!
Thanks for linking to the In and out of the Kitchen party. Always glad you drop by!
I agree, everything is healthier with zucchini in it, ha!
Oh my, this looks amazing! I love the cherry and chocolate combo! Love the drizzle photo too 🙂
Yay! Another way to use up all this great zucchini I have! This looks divine! One question though…do you know if the alcohol cooks out of the sauce? Wouldn’t want to inebriate the kids!
Hi Jenifer,
You are right, it is a great (sneaky) way to use up zucchini! To answer your question, the sauce doesn’t cook very long, so I would leave the alcohol out if serving to the kids. It’s still pretty tasty by itself! Have a great week.
This looks so yummy! Thanks for sharing at my party! have a great week.
Leslie
This sounds divine! Chocolate and cherries were made for each other, and I bet the zucchini makes it extra moist (and qualifies it as health food, right?!). 😉 Thanks so much for sharing this amazing recipe!
Yes, Samantha, totally healthy, ha!
Holy Heck, that looks awesome! I love fresh cherries and the thought of pairing them in a cake with chocolate, zucchini and bourbon is making me have a Homer Simpson moment, LOL. Thanks for sharing at Simple Supper Tuesday.
Ha, nothing like a good Homer Simpson moment–thanks Cindy!
A berry burboun glaze? Oh, my! We’d love for you to come over to our newest link party over at The Inspiration Network: DELISH- a desserts only link party. Bring your desserts and let’s party!!
http://theinspiration-network.com/delish-dessert-link-party/
Smiles,
Melanie and Diana
The Inspiration Network
Will do, thanks Melanie!
a Must-try! Thank you for sharing!
You had me at chocolate and cherries! Pinned!
I’m a new follower and the site is fun! Carrie, http://www.amothersshadow.com
Thanks Carrie. I’m a follower as well!
that looks so good – thank you for sharing!
Sue
Hi Sherry
This looks delicious. You can almost taste it!
Thanks for sharing at our Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop.
Angel @ sewcraftyangel.blogspot.com
oh darn, I just drooled on my keyboard…Thank you for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things hop. xo
Sneaking zucchini into a cake would be a great way to get my small people to eat more veggies. Thanks for sharing at Food on Friday!
This looks so delicious…I just cannot believe it has zucchini in it..WoW!!!
Yummy recipe, I’ve saved it to my Yumprint cookbook. I’m visiting from Show Your Stuff.
This looks amazing! Thank you for sharing with the Clever Chicks Blog Hop this week!
Cheers,
Kathy Shea Mormino
The Chicken Chick
http://www.The-Chicken-Chick.com
I’ll have to pass on the sauce, but for sure whipping up the cake tonight or tomorrow!
Looks Amazing, and so moist!
Thank you so much for sharing your awesome recipe with Full Plate Thursday. Hope you have had a great weekend and have a fabulous week.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Sounds like a perfect combination! Thanks for sharing at Sweet & Savory Saturdays #28.
~Amber @ DessertNowDinnerLater.com
Pinning this! What a yummy looking cake. I do not bake enough. Sounds like you had a fabulous adventure.
Hi there sweet friend! It has been a crazy work week so I haven’t gotten to stop by (sadly next week is more of the same) but I am featuring this divine goodness tonight when our “Best Of The Weekend” party goes live at 8PM EST. Love. This. Cake.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
xo
Awww, bless your heart Claire. Thank you. I pray that there is a light at the end of your work tunnel, and that you can kick back and relax soon!
The ladies at Who Needs A Cape? couldn’t resist your cake & neither could our followers…most clicked at our SUPER SUNDAY Link Party #13…stop on over and link up your SUPER posts at this weeks party! Congrats!!!
Lori
Who Needs A Cape?
Not Your Average Super Moms!
Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. Loosen sides of the cake with a nylon spatula. Place a heatproof serving plate upside down over the pan; turn plate and pan over. Then remove the pan to reveal your masterpiece! Serve warm with the Cherry Bourbon Butter Sauce.
Thanks for these additional instructions, Lisa!