My favorite cake ...

Christmas is officially over (((sigh))). My husband just took our son to the airport to catch his early flight back to New York. As I sit here reflecting on his wonderful but too-short visit, I'm also taking advantage of the peace and quiet for another December post, Number 27 to be exact! Several years ago, I got this fabulous recipe from old high school friends. Shortly after that, I saw it on the Pillsbury cake mix box! It's probably my favorite cake. I think it's the addition of the almond extract that makes it taste so good. Almond extract has a strong, pure, sweet flavor that goes really well with cherries and chocolate. You absolutely have to make this ...
CHOCOLATE-CHERRY CAKE
1 pkg. Pillsbury Moist Supreme Devil's Food cake mix (pudding in the mix)
1-21 oz. can Wilderness cherry pie filling
1 Tbs. almond extract
2 eggs, beaten
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 9x13 cake pan. In large bowl, combine beaten eggs with almond. Add cake mix and cherries, stirring by hand until well-blended. Spread in pan. Bake 25-30 minutes.
Frosting:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
5 Tbs. butter or margarine
1-6 oz. pkg. (1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Combine the powdered sugar, milk and butter in a saucepan. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add chocolate chips. Stir until smooth. Pour and spread over warm cake. Cool completely. Allow frosting to FUDGIFY. Cut into 48 bars or serve as cake with whipped cream