Chocolate Cherry Torte

I would like to make a pretty Valentine's Day dessert this year, so I have been thinking about different recipes that would fit the theme of the day. One that I thought of for Valentine's Day was this quick and easy Chocolate Cherry Torte. This beautiful dessert is just a dolled-up cake mix. I visualized it baked in heart-shaped pans, but after a search of my bakeware, my pans were not to be found. Could I have loaned them to someone? Or do I just need to go on a search and rescue mission for the pans by cleaning out my cabinets?
This recipe has been adapted from the Duncan Hines Classic Recipes cookbook.

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Chocolate Cherry Torte

1 (18.25 ounce) package German Chocolate cake mix

1 can (20 ounces) cherry pie filling

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 container (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping (Cool Whip), thawed and divided

1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds, for garnish

To toast almonds: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread almonds in a single layer on parchment paper. Bake at 325 degrees F for 5 minutes or until fragrant and golden. Let cool.

To make torte: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by greasing and flouring or spray with cooking spray. Prepare and cool cake according to package directions.

In a small bowl, combine cherry pie filling and almond extract; stir until blended.

Assemble the torte by placing one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread with 1 cup Cool Whip, then half of the cherry pie filling mixture. Top with the second cake layer. Decorate around the outer 1 1/2 inches of the top cake layer edge with Cool Whip. Spread remaining cherry pie filling in center of Cool Whip. Garnish with sliced almonds.

To make this Chocolate Cherry Torte you'll need a German Chocolate cake mix and the ingredients called for on the box to make the cake. You'll also need a can of cherry pie filling, almond extract, Cool Whip, and sliced almonds.

The first step is to toast the almonds. Bake for 5 minutes at 325 degrees.

Top the first layer with a cup of Cool Whip.

Top the Cool Whip with half the cherry pie filling.

Add the second cake layer, then decorate around the outer edge with Cool Whip. Spread remaining cherry pie filling in the center. Garnish with almonds. Wouldn't this be beautiful baked in a heart-shaped pan?

This dessert is much lighter than it looks. The Cool Whip and cherry pie filling are great companions for the flavor of the German chocolate cake. A very tasty combo!

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