Cake:

vegetable oil spray (for misting the pan)
1 (18.25 oz.) pkg. plain devil's food cake mix or devil's food mix with pudding
1 (21 oz.) can cherry pie filling
2 large eggs
1 tsp. pure almond extract

Chocolate Glaze:

1 c. sugar
1/3 c. butter
1/3 c. whole milk
1 (6 oz.) pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Place a rack in the center of oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly mist a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with vegetable oil spray. Set the pan aside.

Place the cake mix, cherry pie filling, eggs and almond extract in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer* on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with rubber spatula. Increase the mixer to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look thick and well blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the rubber spatula. Place the pan in the oven.

Bake the cake until it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger and just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack while you prepare the glaze.

For the glaze, place the sugar, butter and milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chocolate chips. When the chips have melted and glaze is smooth, pour it over the warm cake so that it covers the entire surface. The glaze will be thin but will firm up. Cool the cake for 20 minutes more before cutting it into squares and serving.

*I use a Texas sheet cake pan and double the glaze recipe. The cake can be made the night before and the glaze put on the next day. DO NOT use a hand-held mixer.

*Store this cake, covered in aluminum foil, at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Or freeze the cake, wrapped in foil, for up to 6 months. Thaw the cake overnight on the counter before serving.