In need of a last-minute dessert? Whip up a batch of these quick and easy Cherry Chocolate Brownies from a box of chocolate cake mix! Despite being simply made with just 6 ingredients and only 10 minutes of prep work, these Black Forest chocolate brownies are rich, chocolatey, and studded with juicy amaretto cherries. 😋🍫🍒
Of all my restaurant jobs, working as a pastry chef was easily my favorite gig. Spending my days making everything from towering layer cakes to summery peach crumble pies, homemade marshmallows to the perfect oat flour chocolate chip cookies was a delight!
But, while I LOVE to bake, sometimes I don’t have the time or patience to spend hours crafting something beautiful and yummy. On those occasions, I turn to speedy, fuss-free recipes like my easy peach and blueberry cobbler with cake mix, no-cook mint cookies and cream ice cream, fruity pebbles cereal treats, or chocolate peanut butter rice krispies treats.
These one-bowl devil’s food cake mix brownies with cherries are just the newest addition to my dead-simple dessert canon. While they’re not as fudgy as Julia Child’s brownies, they still have an intense chocolate flavor—and they’re so stinkin’ quick to make! All you need are 6 simple ingredients and about 30 minutes from start to finish.
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Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Cherry Brownie Recipe
- Deliciously Cake-y Consistency - While I love both fudgy brownies and cakey brownies, these fall squarely into the latter camp. They have tender, moist crumbs and a deliciously chewy texture. Plus, the combination of deep chocolate and juicy cherry flavor gives them a yummy black forest cake vibe. If you love cherry cordials, these chocolatey brownies will be right up your alley.
- Lightening Fast - Unlike scratch brownie recipes, there’s no need to messily measure out all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, and unsweetened cocoa powder, or to mix wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately. Simply melt some butter, crack a few eggs, open a box of cake mix, and you’re basically done. You’ll have a batch of these rich dark chocolate brownies on the cooling rack in just 30 minutes!
- Budget-Friendly - Considering I can get a box of Aldi cake mix for less than $1 and my homemade amaretto cherries cost less than $1 per jar, these easy homemade brownies are cheap as can be.
Ingredients & Substitutions
As promised, you only need a handful of ingredients to make these easy cherry brownies. Here’s what to grab:
- Chocolate Cake Mix - You can use any variety of chocolate cake mix including devil’s food, dark chocolate fudge, and triple chocolate. Just make sure to get a 15.25-ounce box, or as close to it as possible.
- Eggs - I used 2 large eggs, so if you’re using liquid eggs (or vegan liquid eggs) from a carton, use a scant ½ cup.
- Butter - You’ll need slightly less than a stick, but you can use the leftovers for greasing the pan if you’d like. I recommend using salted, grass-fed, European-style butter for the best flavor. Cultured vegan butter like Miyoko’s also works!
- Kosher Salt - If you opt to use fine sea salt, reduce the amount to ½ teaspoon.
- Almond Extract - Cherries and almonds go together like dogs and belly rubs. Feel free to swap in vanilla extract if you prefer!
- Amaretto Cherries - My homemade Lazzaroni-style cocktail cherries taste just like the fancy kind, but at a fraction of the price. All you need are fresh cherries, amaretto liqueur, and a few pantry staples to make them! Feel free to sub in morello cherries (Trader Joe’s and Aldi are your best bet!) or amarena cherries. You could also use maraschino cherries if you prefer—I typically find them a bit too sweet, but that’s just me!
How to Make Cherry Chocolate Brownies With Cake Mix
These decadent brownies come together in just a few simple steps:
Prep. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9x9 square baking dish with non-stick cooking spray or butter and line it with parchment paper.
Step 1: Make Batter. In a large mixing bowl, mix chocolate cake mix, eggs, melted butter, kosher salt, and almond extract until uniform. It’ll be quite thick!
Step 2: Fold in chopped amaretto cherries.
Step 3: Pour the brownie batter into the prepared tin, using an offset spatula or back of a spoon to smooth it out.
Step 4: Bake for 23-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. Allow the pan to cool on a wire rack for about 30 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Optional Variations
These chocolate and cherry brownies are wonderful just as they are, but there are plenty of different ways for you to tweak the recipe to your liking:
- Gluten-Free - Use your favorite gluten-free chocolate cake mix to make them celiac-friendly.
- Vegan - Use a vegan cake mix, vegan liquid eggs (e.g. JUST Eggs), and vegan butter.
- Add-Ins - Feel free to add some textural pizzazz by folding in ½ cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips, chopped chocolate bar, or chocolate chunks and/or ½ cup of sliced almonds. For an even deeper chocolate flavor, add a teaspoon of instant espresso powder. You can also drizzle on some melted chocolate after they cool for a pretty garnish.
- Chocolate Ganache Brownies - Add a thick layer of chocolate ganache as your frosting. NOTE: I recommend swapping out the rum in the ganache recipe for amaretto, cherry liqueur, or chocolate liqueur to fit with the cherry brownie theme a little better.
Expert Tips & Tricks
- Feel free to use a 9x13 inch pan for thinner brownies, but begin to check for doneness around the 18-minute mark using the toothpick test.
- Don’t overmix the batter! Overmixing causes the overproduction of gluten, which can cause your semi-homemade chocolate cherry brownies to become tough.
- Drain the cherries from their cherry juice and pat them dry before chopping and folding into the batter. Too much liquid can make the brownies soggy.
- Let the brownies cool to room temperature before storing. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze individually foil-wrapped squares in a zip-top freezer bag for up to a month.
Serving Suggestions
While these cherry amaretto brownies are delightful on their own, I think the best way to serve them is with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or chocolate chocolate chip ice cream.
Take it a step further with some hot fudge sauce, a dollop of amaretto whipped cream, some toasted almonds, and an amaretto cherry garnish for an indulgent cherry chocolate brownie hot fudge sundae.
These luscious cherry brownies are the perfect addition to your Valentine’s Day menu thanks to the cherry-chocolate flavor combo, but are equally yummy in the middle of summer. I’ll happily whip up a batch whenever I have a strong chocolate craving but am too lazy for an intensive baking session.
Frequently Asked Questions
I recommend adding about a teaspoon of instant espresso powder to the mix. Coffee helps amplify the chocolate flavor! You can also add a handful of chocolate chips for little puddles of melty chocolate throughout.
Aside from amaretto cherries (which add a fun, fruity pop of color and contribute to a moist consistency), extra chopped chocolate chunks and sliced almonds are great for adding flavor and textural interest. 
Since this cake mix brownie batter is pretty thick, you shouldn’t have to worry. That said, it’s always a good idea to toss your chocolate chips or other brownie/cake additions with the dry ingredients. The flour coating makes them a bit grippier, preventing them from sinking.
If your brownies go stale before you can get to them, not all hope is lost. You can either crumble them up and toast them to use as a dessert topping (think chocolate bread crumbs), swirl the crumbles into your favorite ice cream base, or turn the crumbles into brownie cake pops by adding frosting, shaping them into balls, putting them on a stick, and dipping them in chocolate melts.
More Easy, Delicious Desserts
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Chocolate Cherry Brownies (From Cake Mix!)
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
- 9x9 Cake Tin or 8x12 or 9x13 (for thinner brownies)
Ingredients
- 1 box Chocolate Cake Mix 15.25 oz
- 2 Eggs
- 7 tablespoon Butter melted
- ¾ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon Almond Extract
- 1 C Amaretto Cherries well-drained and roughly chopped; or sub in morello cherries or amarena cherries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking tin with non-stick cooking spray and parchment.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together 1 box Chocolate Cake Mix, 2 Eggs, 7 tablespoon Butter (melted), ¾ teaspoon Kosher Salt, and 1 teaspoon Almond Extract until uniform.
- Fold in chopped 1 C Amaretto Cherries.
- Pour batter into prepared tin. The brownie batter will be very thick, so you'll need to spread it out using an offset spatula, the back of a spoon, or a silicone spatula.
- Bake for 23-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
- Allow to cool for a minimum of 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Feel free to use a 9x13 inch pan for thinner brownies, but begin to check for doneness around the 18-minute mark using the toothpick test.
- Don’t overmix the batter! Overmixing causes the overproduction of gluten, which can cause your semi-homemade chocolate cherry brownies to become tough.
- Drain the cherries from their cherry juice and pat them dry before chopping and folding into the batter. Too much liquid can make the brownies soggy.
- Let the brownies cool to room temperature before storing. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze individually foil-wrapped squares in a zip-top freezer bag for up to a month.
- Gluten-Free - Use your favorite gluten-free chocolate cake mix to make them celiac-friendly.
- Vegan - Use a vegan cake mix, vegan liquid eggs (e.g. JUST Eggs), and vegan butter.
- Add-Ins - Feel free to add some textural pizzazz by folding in ½ cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips, chopped chocolate bar, or chocolate chunks and/or ½ cup of sliced almonds. For an even deeper chocolate flavor, add a teaspoon of instant espresso powder. You can also drizzle on some melted chocolate after they cool for a pretty garnish.
Nutrition
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