A Delicious Caramel Dessert Recipe with Cherry Caramel

I love to bake as anyone who visits here regularly knows. One of the fun parts of baking is experimenting. A caramel dessert is always special and different types of caramel are fun to make. I had a can of Cherry 7UP® floating around and I thought it would make an interesting start to a dessert sauce and that is how this particular caramel was born. This recipe is an oldie but a goodie and I am glad to bring it back for another look.

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Caramel Dessert Fun

I’ve been experimenting with caramel sauce recipes lately and I thought a Cherry 7UP® caramel would be delicious. It is a special kind of magic when sugar crystals, cream, butter and a flavoring come together to make one of the most delicious treats on Earth – in my humble opinion anyway. To complement the sweet, rich sauce I thought that mini bundt cakes would be a perfect base.

Caramel Dessert – Chocolate Chip Cherry Mini Bundt Cakes with Cherry 7UP® Caramel Sauce

Makes 24 mini bundt cakes or one regular bundt cake

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For the bundt cakes:

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter at room temperature
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cherry flavoring (optional)
1 cup yogurt
1/2 cup chopped dried cherries, preferably organic
1/2 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips

For the Cherry 7UP® caramel sauce:

2 12 oz cans Cherry 7UP®
1 cup granulated sugar
6 TBS cold butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350°

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Start the Bundt Cakes

Spray the mini bundt pan with cooking spray and then dust with flour. Remove any excess flour. If you are making one large cake butter the bundt pan and dust with flour. Set aside.
Add the two cans of Cherry 7UP® to a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let the soda simmer until it is reduced to 1/4 cup. You can let this occur while you make the batter for the bundt cakes just be sure to keep an eye on it.
Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a medium bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attached. Add the sugar and beat together on medium high for about 4 minutes.
Add the eggs, one at a time and beat well after each addition.
Add the vanilla and cherry if using. Mix well. Reduce the speed to low and add the yogurt until incorporated. Scrape the bowl if necessary.
Add the flour mixture and mix just until combined.

Remove the bowl from the stand and fold in the chopped cherries and mini chips.

Fill the mini bundt pans about 2/3rds full with batter.
Drop the pan on the counter a couple of times to help the batter settle. Smooth the top with an offset spatula.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 35 – 40 minutes.
Cool the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes then carefully turn over and remove the cakes. Let cool completely.

Make the Caramel Sauce:

Add the sugar to the reduced Cherry 7UP® and heat over medium high heat until the sugar is boiling and completely dissolved.
Add the cold butter – be careful! The mixture will rise up in the saucepan and hiss and spit a little.
After the butter has completely melted add the heavy cream. Again – be careful. The cold cream hitting the hot caramel will cause rapid bubbling.
Add the pinch of salt. Stir for a minute. Let the caramel cool slightly in the pot and then pour into a mason jar to cool completely.

To serve: place a mini bundt cake on a plate and drizzle with some of the caramel sauce. Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips if you would like.

How Was the Caramel Dessert?

The rich chocolate with the tart cherry is a really tasty combination. Add the caramel sauce with the hint of cherry flavor from the Cherry 7UP® and it was a lovely complement to the cake.

This is a recipe I will keep and make again. It’s one that will surely brighten up any special dinner or dessert buffet. Soda is not just for drinking, it can be used in any number of ways.

I’m always happy when I’m baking. I know that the cookies and cakes I bake for the hubby are appreciated and it’s magical when I come up with a flavor combination that makes us both go yum like in these caramel desserts! Any excuse to bake something sweet and delicious like a citrus bundt cake or a turtle cheesecake is good with me. Mmmmm!