In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg and butter.
Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients along with the chopped cherries. Stir until just combined. The less you stir, the lighter the pancakes will be.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add approximately 1 teaspoon of cooking oil followed by some pancake batter (I like to use a cookie scoop or ladle to keep the pancakes even). Cook until bubbles begin appearing on the pancakes, 2-3 minutes, and then flip. Cook for another 1 1/2-2 minutes until the pancakes are cooked through. Remove the pancakes to a plate and repeat this process with the remaining batter.
Serve warm with maple syrup or your favorite pancake toppings.
Notes
If fresh cherries are not in season, frozen cherries will work perfectly. Don't thaw them out first; simply add them directly to the pancake batter.