Black Forest Bars

Three ingredients. That’s it. A no-sugar chocolate cake mix, a can of sour cherries, and a little sugar substitute come together into chewy, fudgy bars with that classic Black Forest chocolate-cherry combination.

The sour cherries are doing double duty here. Their juice provides the moisture that replaces the eggs, oil, and water you’d normally add to a cake mix. Drain them thoroughly before mixing. Any excess liquid will make the batter too wet, and instead of bars you’ll end up with a flat, gummy slab that won’t hold its shape when cut.

Stir until the cake mix is fully incorporated but don’t overwork it. The batter will be thick and chunky with cherry pieces throughout. Spread it evenly in the pan so the bars bake at the same rate across the whole sheet.

These bake up dense and chewy rather than cakey. That’s by design. Without eggs and oil, the texture sits somewhere between a brownie and a fruit bar.

Pro Tips

• Press the drained cherries between paper towels to remove as much moisture as possible. This is the key to bars that hold together.
• Let the bars cool completely in the pan before cutting. They firm up significantly as they cool.
• Cut into small 1×1.5 inch pieces. These are rich and concentrated, so smaller bars are more satisfying than you’d expect.
• Store in a single layer in an airtight container. Stacking while still warm makes them stick together.

Variations

• Cherry almond: Add a quarter teaspoon of almond extract to the batter for a classic pairing with the sour cherries.
• Chocolate chip studded: Fold in a handful of sugar-free chocolate chips for pockets of melted chocolate throughout.