Black Forest Cake

I created this cake for Burke's birthday a few years ago. I used a cake mix as a base so it was super easy and SUPER delicious! (So delicious, in fact, that I forgot to take a picture of it before we'd eaten some!)

CAKE:
1 chocolate cake mix (I used Devils Food but next time I'll probably try a Dark Chocolate one next time just for fun!)
1 small box chocolate pudding mix
3 eggs
1 1/3 c water
1/3 c oil
1 Tbs almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 21-oz can cherry pie filling  (reserve a bit for the top)
(Alternative: This year I used bottled cherries which I drained (reserving the juice), and added about 3/4 c. sour cream. I put the juice in a sauce pan with some sugar - 2:1 ratio - brought it to a boil and let it simmer until it thickened into a sauce. We put that over the sliced cake, topped with whipped cream and the whole cake was gone in 30 minutes!)

GLAZE:
1 cup chocolate chips (milk or semi-sweet, depending on the level of sweetness desired!)
1 Tbs butter
Milk or half-n-half (anywhere from 1 Tbs to 1/4 cup depending on the consistency of the glaze you want)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all the cake ingredients together just until blended. Pour into a greased and floured pan. I did mine in a bunt pan but you could also use a regular 9x13 baking pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool.

**If you've used bunt pans before, you know they can be tricky. There are major debates over how to get a cake out of a bunt pan. (Google it sometime when you're really bored!) I don't know what will work for you but this is what I do: My bunt pan is an inexpensive light weight aluminum one with a ceramic coating inside. I sprayed mine WELL with canola oil (PAM) and did not flour it.  I removed it from the pan as soon as it was out of the oven. Its a very moist cake and I've had no problem with sticking. Good luck!**

Make the glaze while cake is cooling. To make the glaze, melt the chocolate chips, butter, and 1 Tbs of milk together in a saucepan. Once the chocolate has melted, you may add additional milk to create desired consistency. I wanted mine to drip down the sides easily so I ended up using about 1/4 cup of milk total.  Put the glaze on a fully cool cake. Top with reserved cherries (or sauce) and serve with whipped cream and a tall glass of milk.

Delightful! Enjoy!