Valentine's Chocolate Strawberry Cake With Rum Ganache

The fine folks at Lucky Leaf sent me a new recipe to test out. A couple of years ago for Valentine's Day, I gave you the recipe for Sweetheart Cherry Cake With Lemon-Rose Buttercream from Lucky Leaf. I still use that recipe. They're starting to get famous around here for fabulous recipes!  So, when they want to send goodies to play with, I usually jump at the chance. I always have the option of not sharing if I don't like how it turns out. However, I have never had that happen. I have to say that once again, the recipe they gave me is a total winner! I loved it so much I have to share it! This time it was for a Chocolate Strawberry Cake with Rum Ganache. It's a tart, deep, and moist cake loaded with strawberries and drizzled with this creamy rum-kissed truffle frosting. Oh, my gracious heart! (I'm frantically fanning myself with my hand right now.)

On their website, they call it a Chocolate Cherry Cake...but I used their Strawberry filling. Do the math. I guess that wouldn't be math, would it? That would be like...English or Chemistry or...daggumit. I don't know. Whatever it was, it was ridiculously yummy! Look at it.  Can we even talk in the presence of such a chocolate vision? Shh...Silence...while I abscond with two forks, and we hide in the closet. You, Me...and Beautiful. Hello Beautiful.

Here's what you need:

 Ingredients

• 1 package 2-layer-size chocolate cake mix (I used my Homemade Chocolate Cake Mix)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 0.23-ounce packages unsweetened lemonade-flavored drink mix
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup cooking oil
• 4 eggs
• 1 21-ounce can LUCKY LEAF ® Cherry Pie Filling (I used Strawberry)
• 1 8-ounce carton dairy sour cream
• 2 teaspoons almond extract
• 1 4-ounce bar sweet baking chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 tablespoons dark rum

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 10-inch fluted tube pan; set aside. 
2. In a large bowl, stir together cake mix, flour, sugar, drink mix, baking powder, and soda. Add oil, eggs, cherry pie filling, sour cream, and almond extract. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed for 2 minutes (the batter will be stiff). Fold in chopped sweet chocolate. Spoon into prepared pan. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in a pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Loosen sides and remove from pan. Cool completely. 
3. For ganache, heat the cream in a small saucepan just to boiling. In a medium bowl pour hot cream over bittersweet chocolate; let stand 5 minutes. Stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth; stir in rum. Place bowl with chocolate in a bowl of ice water and let stand for about 20 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Transfer cake to a serving plate. Spread ganache over cake. Let stand 1 hour before serving to set up. Makes 12 to 16 servings.

Makes 12 servings

This was my first time using the Lucky Leaf Strawberry Pie Filling. I was surprised to see so many whole strawberries in a can! It was fabulous! I was a little concerned by the addition of the lemonade mix...but found it added a nice tart depth to the cake. Excellent twist! 

 So there it is. I'm totally in love. Thank you, Lucky Leaf, for the fun new recipe! I'm putting it next to my Sweetheart Cherry Cake With Lemon-Rose Buttercream. Two cakes of love. 

There you go. Make a Chocolate Strawberry cake with Rum Ganache. Moist. Divine. Definitely worth the effort for your Special Valentine...or a random day of the week...like Tuesday.




Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess