Tasty. I just made this recipe in the microwave. I just cooked for a minute at a time, over and over, until it hit the "firm ball" stage, which I think I hit pretty well. Here's what I'll do differently next time: 1. Make only half the recipe - unless I'm planning on giving most of it away. It make a LOT! 2. Use more black paste food coloring. I used about 1/4 teaspoon, and it made it a dark brown. 3. Use even more anise flavoring. I doubled it (I put in 1/2 teaspoon of anise oil, which is the equivalent of 2 teaspoons anise extract) but I think adding even more would be better. I skipped the aluminum foil based on recommendations, and didn't need it at all.

Reviewed On: Apr. 15, 2011

Just made this for the first time for a potluck today - people REALLY loved it! It's a keeper. The changes I made were 1. Melted the butter and mixed it with the cake mix 2. It was still hard to mix the cake mix/butter mixture, so I added all the liquid from the cherries, and added that, then spooned that on top of the canned fruit. Seems like melting the butter and mixing it in is actually much easier than slicing it carefully and placing it on the mix.

Reviewed On: Sep. 11, 2010