Cherry Chocolate Cake

This is an old family favorite. At my family's house we make this every few months. I think I had this as my birthday cake for half of my birthdays. Luckily, it is pretty easily made gluten free. I will include the original recipe for all of you gluten eaters out there :p.

Original Recipe

Cake:
1 pkg. fudge cake mix
21 oz. can cherry pie filling
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 of the cherry can of water

Frosting:
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup milk
5 tablespoons butter
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Simple huh!

Gluten Free Version

Cake:
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup rice flour
6 tablespoons tapioca flour/starch
6 tablespoons cornstarch or potato starch(not flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup sugar
21 oz. can cherry pie filling (make sure it doesn't have modified food starch--modified cornstarch is okay)
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 of the cherry can of water

Frosting:
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup milk
5 tablespoons butter
1 cup chocolate chips

Step One: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch pan.

Step Two: Combine dry ingredients for the cake. Then add wet ingredients. Mix by hand, you want the cherries to stay whole. But if they don't stay whole, don't stress, it will still be delicious. Once everything is mixed (make sure you don't have any pockets of dry ingredients) it will be very fudgy and thick. Not like a typical cake batter.Step Three: Pour into a greased 9x13 inch pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes. You will know that it is done when the edges of the cake have pulled slightly away from the pan. I prefer the middle a little moist. When you stick a knife in the middle you don't want it coated, but a few moist crumbs remaining are perfect!

Meanwhile...

Step Four: In a saucepan, combine sugar, milk, and butter. Stir constantly and bring to a boil. Boil for one minute. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate chips until smooth.Step Five: Pour chocolate frosting over cake when it is lukewarm.----My roommates used to call this frosting "tantalize your tongue frosting". I think the title fits perfectly. It almost like a soft fudge that hardens on one side and stays soft on the other. Of course that's tongue tantalizing.

Step Six: Enjoy every bite! I love sharing this cake with my neighbors.