Chocolate Cherry Cake (12 cup pan)

Ingredients

Cake

    * 1/2 cup (1 stick) Butter
    * 2 cups  light or dark brown sugar, packed
    * 1/2 cup  vegetable oil
    * 1/2 teaspoon  salt
    * 2 teaspoons  baking powder
    * 1 cup  Dutch-process cocoa
    * 4 large eggs
    * 2 cups  King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
    * 1 cup  milk

Filling

    * 1/3 cup  brown sugar, packed
    * 1/8 teaspoon  salt
    * 1 teaspoon  ground cinnamon
    * 1/2 cup  diced pecans or walnuts
    * 1/2 cup  dried cherries, diced
    * 1 cup  semisweet chocolate chips

Chocolate Glaze

    * 1/2 cup  heavy cream
    * 1 teaspoon  vanilla extract
    * 3/4 cup  semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

This deep-dark chocolate cake, highlighted with dried cherries, is delicious served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Use butter or solid vegetable shortening to grease a 12-cup tube pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Cake: In a large mixing bowl, beat together the 1/2 cup butter, brown sugar, vegetable oil, salt, and baking powder. Beat until well blended. Beat in the cocoa, then add the eggs one at a time, beating until fluffy after each addition. Mix the flour into the batter, 2/3 cup at a time, alternately with the milk.

Filling: In a small bowl, mix together all of the filling ingredients.
Spoon about half the cake batter into the greased pan. Sprinkle the filling over the batter, reserving about 1/2 cup. Top with the remaining batter, then the reserved filling.

Bake the cake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven, cool it in the pan for 20 minutes, then turn it out onto a cooling rack. Cool for at least an hour before slicing. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream, or top with chocolate glaze.

Glaze: In a saucepan set over medium heat, or in the microwave, bring the cream to a boil, then stir in the vanilla and chocolate chips. Mix until smooth. Drizzle glaze over the cooled cake.

Yield: 12 to 14 servings.