I love a creamy, custardy dessert, especially during the summer months, and this chocolate-cherry cream is a new favorite. Cherry can be a tricky flavor. Too often, cherry-flavored treats have a medicinal quality. To avoid that awful cough syrupy taste, I used fresh cherries and 100 percent cherry juice with no concentrates or extracts in this cream. This ensures you get nothing but an authentic cherry flavor.
When I first planned to make this recipe, I thought I wanted to go with a traditional mousse. Although mousses are light, airy and perfect for summer, I was in the mood for something even more delicate. I used the same technique to make a mousse but added a touch more cream to give it even more of a whipped texture. Imagine if chocolate mousse and whipped cream had a love child. That’s how I’d describe this chocolate-cherry cream’s texture.
Besides being delicious, I love this chocolate-cherry cream’s versatility. Sure, it’s great in a dessert glass as pictured, but it also makes an amazing cake filling. Recently, I made a three-layer chocolate cake with ganache frosting and filled the layers with this chocolate-cherry cream for a dear friend’s party. Everyone loved it and commented on how the cherry flavor added a nice touch.
In fact, it was such a hit that as I was leaving with my empty cake holder, my friend’s young son sadly said, “Bye, cake.” Did he care that I was leaving? Not so much. But the cake? Now that’s a sad moment.
With the temperatures rising and fresh cherries hitting the market, I hope you give this recipe a try, and I’d love to hear your thoughts. Let’s take advantage of cherry season while it lasts.
Perfect Pairing
When chocolate and cherries are in play, you can’t go wrong with a bourbon barrel-aged stout. These beers tend to be on the sweeter side, making them perfect with so many desserts. You can also play up the cherry flavor with a kriek, which is a Belgian-style cherry lambic. Krieks are tart and effervescent, so those light bubbles pair well with the whipped body of the cream. A nice port is another delicious choice as is my cherry-infused bourbon.
Cheers!
Feeling a Little Fruity? Try These Fruity Desserts From Burrata and Bubbles.
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Chocolate-Cherry Cream
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 servings 1x
Description
This dreamy, airy chocolate-cherry cream is even lighter than a mousse and can be served in a dish or used as a delicious cake filling.
Ingredients
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
8 tablespoons butter, sliced
3 large eggs, separated
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 ounces cherry juice
1 1/2 cups cherries, chopped, pitted and stems removed
Instructions
- In a double boiler or bowl set over a pot of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter while stirring frequently until smooth.
- Add the yolks and beat well with a hand mixer after each addition. Remove from heat.
- Using a different bowl, beat the egg whites until they reach the soft peak stage. Add 2 tablespoons of the sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
- In another bowl, beat the cream and sugar until it starts to thicken. Add the cherry juice and keep beating until it forms soft to medium peaks.
- Gently fold in the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Once the egg whites are fully incorporated, fold in the cherry whipped cream and stir in the chopped cherries.
- Cover with plastic wrap on top of the cream to prevent any film from forming. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Serve in dessert glasses or use as a cake filling.
Notes
Pitting cherries can get messy. Wear an old shirt that you don’t mind staining.
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: chocolate cream, cherry cream, chocolate mousse, chocolate filling, chocolate custard, cherry custard
What awesome flavors! Cherry and chocolate just go so well together. And I love a light and fluffy mousse 🙂
★★★★★
Right? Love the combo. Thank you!
The flavour pairing is spot on. What a great little dessert to whip up on a weeknight. I love when things are simple and delicious like this.
★★★★★
Same here!
Chocolate and cherries has got to be one of my favorite flavor combos, so I can’t wait to try this! The texture looks so nice and smooth too.
Thank you! The texture is great.
Yees, sign me up! Cherry is a difficult flavor – too much and it does have that medicinal flavor you are talking about. Doing it right and you get a masterpiece, and this looks and sounds like a masterpiece! Also great idea to have it in a cake!
★★★★★
Thank you so much! 🤗
Cherries and chocolate go so well together, it’s as though they were made to be paired. This dessert looks scrumptious!
I agree 💯 percent.
Cherry Garcia Ice cream is my absolute favorite in Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. I love cherries and I love chocolate. I really am stoked to try this in the New Year.
★★★★★
That’s one of my favorites too! Hope you love it.
I also hate that fake cough syrup-y flavor some cherry things have so using fresh cherries and juice sounds like the perfect solution!
For sure! ❤️
Sounds like a pot de creme and a fantastic one at that! Such a classic pairing of cherry and chocolate. Great tips, too, for how to keep it from tasting medicinal.
★★★★★
Thanks, Jori! That’s a good way to describe it.
I also don’t like the fake cough syrup cherry flavor. This chocolate cherry cream will make the perfect dessert for our February supper club. Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
You’re welcome! Hope everyone loves it.
Love this dessert. I live in a cherry growing area and every year we get given boxes of cherries by the local farmers. I can also help myself from the neighbouring farmer’s trees! So, I am always on the look out for cherry recipes. Going to pin for later!
Ohhh, I’m a little bit jealous you have access to local cherries like that! Sounds amazing.
Sorry forgot to rate!
★★★★★
Haha, thank you!
I am loving this treat for Valentine’s Day! It is the perfect dessert after a savory meal to enjoy while we watch a movie!
★★★★★
I agree — it’d be perfect for that!
I’m always hesitant about cherry flavored things because of they’re medicinal qualities (as you said), so I’m super excited to try a cherry-flavored dessert that actually tastes like cherries! YUM!
★★★★★
Totally! Hope you love it.
Chocolate and Cherry is one of my all time favorite flavor combos! This would be so perfect for Valentine’s Day!
★★★★★
💯 percent! It’s a great combo.
This chocolate cherry cream looks so creamy and luscious…I would like to have it as such though I wouldn’t mind to use this as cake filling too
★★★★★
I hope you do! I’m sure you’ll love it.
I love creamy desserts, too! In fact, cherry and chocolate are my favorites when it comes to desserts. I would eat either cherry or chocolate separately but when you combine them in a delicious dessert like this, nothing can be better!
★★★★★
It’s my total weakness! 😀
It looks great. It sounds simple and delicious as well. A different one to try. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome!